Cold War: The Calm before the Storm
by Leman of the Russ
Summary: This is a DC/Marvel crossover, but I'm posting it here 'cause no one reads crossovers. What if, by freak accident, the border between the DC and Marvel universes was broken? What chaos would be unleashed? What if past enemies became allies and people long thought dead returned? Would romance blossom, or would the ties of friendship shatter? Rae/OC Rob/Star BB/Terr Cy/Bee and more!
1. Chapter 1- Hell frozen over

**Okay, new story I decided to write after re-watching some of the Teen Titans cartoons, and finishing Injustice. No flames please, or rants about the comics, I'm purely going off the info I got from the Tv series, and from all the movies (Avengers, Dark Knight, etc.)  
**

* * *

"_And now, in further news, the cold spell that had plagued the city still continues, and shows no sign of ending any time soon_."

The assembled Titans groaned as the news confirmed their worst fears. For the past week Jump City had been locked in a seemingly endless supply of snow and ice, and the temperature had plummeted to such an extent that it was no longer safe to go outside for more than a few hours.

That had left the Titans land-locked as the water around the Tower had frozen, one of the unexpected bonuses of the flash-freeze, but it also meant that supplies were getting limited and the entire city was suffering heavily.

Huge sections were without power as the snow collapsed electricity cables and toppled pylons, and people were being forced to abandon their homes to avoid freezing to death.

Even so, there were casualties as some; mainly children and the elderly, couldn't withstand the cold and the harsh winds that accompanied it.

"Great" Beast Boy moaned "now we're stuck freezing our asses off for God knows how long!" Robin and Cyborg nodded in agreement, their faces sullen.

Starfire floated down to the couch and nestled herself between Robin and Cyborg, the former wrapping an arm around the alieness' shoulders, and said "Friends, why does this spell of the cold cause so much pain?"

Cyborg sighed, rolling his human eye while pinning Robin with a pointed stare with the other.

Robin cleared his throat thoughtfully before saying "It doesn't hurt people _per se_ Star; it just forces their bodies to act as if they've been hurt." His voice grew infinitely sad as his face softened. "Some people don't respond well to the process, and as a result…" he trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.

Everyone else nodded sombrely, already guessing the rest of the sentence. Each of them dealt with death in their own way, but it had a definitely negative on their morale. Their performance had dropped considerably when the casualties began piling up, each death adding more weight to their already-loaded collective conscience.

Starfire sighed and rested her head on Robin's chest, her ruby locks spilling over her shoulder and onto his leg. Cy looked at the couple and couldn't help smiling. _'They look perfect together'_ he thought, eying the pair as they lounged on the couch, their bodies intertwined and their fingers laced together.

It was true, over the past four years they had all bonded on a much deeper level, and they had all changed because of it, and due to nature.

Beast Boy, now called Changeling, had grown the most out of all of them, both physically and characteristically. He had shot up to 5'8 and filled out a wasn't as muscular as Cyborg, but he had noticeably more muscle, albeit they were slightly scrawny. He, like the others, had changed his uniform from his Doom Patrol black and purple suit, to a white and red form-fitting jumpsuit, which really increased his status among their female fans. He also lost most of his immaturity, only cracking his signature jokes when he knew it would be appreciated, or when it looked like someone in the team- or all of them- needed an emotional boost. In fact, all of the Titans had changed.

Robin- or Nightwing as he preferred to be called- had grown to be 6'4, slightly taller than Star, (that caused her to giggle for a whole five minutes when she discovered that little titbit) and had beefed out a lot, almost as much as Cyborg. He had changed his uniform from his 'traffic cone suit', as Raven had dubbed it, to something extremely reminiscent of the outfit of his mentor. It was completely black, with the blue V emblazoned on the chest, it's 'wings' stretching down his arms to his gloves, a reference to Kal-El, better known as Clark Kent or Superman, and his past as a vigilante in the Kryptonian capital of Kandor.

Cyborg had changed the least out of all of them, having only grown an additional six inches, giving him an impressive 6'6 towering gait. He had upgraded his systems of course, keeping himself as high-tech as possible. Instead of the blue glow of his previous components, they were now all gun-metal silver, making him shine when he stood in sunlight.

The girls had also developed, but in other and…interesting ways. Starfire had filled out nicely; her hips and bust becoming extremely prominent, creating a perfect hourglass figure which turned a great many heads when she left the Tower, from both men and women, and her face had thinned slightly, revealing high cheekbones and a thin jaw that made her look like a mythical goddess.

Raven had also changed drastically. She had grown quite a bit, ending up as tall as Changeling, while developing curves that put some models to shame, and her rack wasn't anything to laugh at either. Her new uniform was nearly identical to her old one, aside from being sleeveless and larger to accommodate her newer, more voluptuous figure, the new eye-like broach that held her cloak in place, and the beak-like hood.

She had grown her hair out, and it cascaded over her shoulders down to just below her shoulder blades in violet waves, framing her elegant face in a sea of purple, adding to her mysterious aura. Plus, since they had defeated the Brotherhood of Evil she had started to feel more, allowing more of her emotions to show, and mature in character. They had dropped the 'Teen' part of their name, so people knew them purely as the 'Titans'.

All in all, they had all developed into one small family.

* * *

The mood was shattered as the Tower's alarm blared angrily throughout the room. Everyone shot up a dashed over to the screen to find a single red flashing dot hanging over the financial district.

"It's Doctor Light." Nightwing said, his masked eyes scanning over the screen with practised ease "He's robbed a bank downtown…huh, it's the same one he robbed the first time we met him."

Everyone turned to Raven, who was chuckling darkly and had an evil grin stretched over her face.

"Uh, care to share the joke Raven?" Changeling asked, raising an eyebrow in question; no doubt borrowing the gesture from Raven's own arsenal. Then the details of what Nightwing had said hit him and his eyes widened in understanding. "Do you think he'd mind a repeat of one of your previous…_performances_, Rae?" he asked, a dangerous glint in his eye.

The others turned to stare at the changeling, confused as to his sudden change in behaviour.

Unbeknownst to the others, Raven and Changeling had dated for about six months before both agreeing that a relationship between them wasn't going to work, so they mutually ended it. But due to their closeness, they had finally managed to escape their previous love/hate style relationship.

Then his words clicked into place, and everyone grinned at the implications. Even Starfire; who couldn't understand human mannerisms or speech a year ago, had a huge smile on her face, her emerald eyes shining with a mischievous light.

All eyes turned to Nightwing, who still wore his 'Bat-face', as Cyborg once described it. Then, quite suddenly; it split into a huge, near-maniacal grin.

"Alright" he said, his calm voice at odds with his crazed expression "you all know what you have to do. Titans…GO!"

* * *

The T-car screamed through the streets, Cyborg driving it as fast as the modified engine would allow. Starfire, Raven and Beast boy flew above it whilst Robin drove his R-Cycle like a pro, weaving through corners like he'd done it for years (which he had).

They sped through the city, tearing past entire blocks of onlookers, turning heads as they flew past. They shot down to the bank just in time to see Doctor Light climb inside his bank truck and start the engine. He glanced up just in time to see the Titans gather around the truck, each wearing an identical scowl, and each prepping their weapon of choice: Robin with his Bo staff, Cyborg and his sonic cannon, Star with her starbolts, Beast Boy sharpening his claws mid-way through a phase, and Raven floated with all four of her demonic eyes revealed, her entire being swathed in dark energy.

He gulped, his eyes darting in every direction, seeking a way to escape his current predicament. It was then that a very familiar voice echoed over the truck's radio.

"_We're in position_" Slade said "_Keep the Titans occupied until the signal is sent._" Everyone's eyes widened, and a cruel smile spread over the good Doctor's face.

"Time to face the Light!" he yelled whilst leaping through the sunroof to land on top of the truck and proceeded to bombard the Titans with lasers in his suit, blasting away at them with careless abandon.

"Titans! Scatter!" Robin yelled right before a laser beam slammed into his chest, sending him flying across the street and slamming into a nearby wall with bone-crushing force.

Starfire gasped, her eyes widened in shock, before turning to glare at the villain with murder clearly written in her eyes. With a great cry she launched herself at the Doctor, her hands glowing a fierce emerald.

He barely had time to look up before the Tamaranean's fist smashed into his face, knocking him off his perch and right into the line of fire of Cyborg; who chose that exact moment to unleash a barrage from his sonic cannon, the sapphire beam catching Light straight in the chest and sending him hurtling down the road…and landing at Raven's feet.

"Good day Doctor" she purred, her demonic visage all the more horrifying thanks to the maniacal grin she now wore "I do hope you put up more of a fight than you did last time we met."

The poor villain could only stand there, a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look on his face and Raven loomed above him, laughing evilly, her four blood-red eyes glowing like four brands in her head, her hood obscuring the rest of her face. She honestly looked like something that had just climbed out of the Sixth Circle of Hell. Suddenly, the surrounding temperature plummeted, making the already cold air practically unbearable. Then Doctor Light's radio crackled into life again.

"_Superconductor reaching optimum temperature, projection sequence online, power coils in place. We're as ready as we're ever going to be. Sequence start in T-minus sixty minutes._" a voice said, deep and resonant and, to Nightwing, horrifyingly familiar.

* * *

"Mr Freeze!" he coughed, his voice hoarse as he hauled himself from the wreckage of the wall he had landed against, yet to the others he seemed to have shouted every word.

Everyone froze, and it seemed time had paused, their bodies stilled to inaction for the merest second, before Slade's voice again returned to the radio.

"_Very well." _Then he addressed the terrified Doctor._ "Thank you Arthur, your work is done. Evac is en-route."_

Everyone's eyes shot skyward as the sound of rotor blades filled the air, and a black helicopter appeared above them. The side door rumbled open and a single black rope dropped from within, sliding through the air like a snake, landing right before the petrified villain.

With inhuman speed, he wrapped his arms around it and hauled himself up to the waiting transport, scrambling up the thin cord in record time before discarding it and slamming the door shut.

Just as the helicopter began to turn, Cyborg raised his arm and shot a small disc, about the size of a shirt button, at the aircraft from his wrist. It impacted on the upper hull and latched itself firmly to the metal, before flashing a vibrant red and began transmitting its signal. As the helicopter sped away, the Titans regrouped around their now-limping leader; who now had the look of a man who had just witnessed his own death six times over, his face incredibly pale, and his mask almost sliding off his face with the size of his eyes. His chest heaved as he forced air into his aching lungs, before collapsing to the floor and fainting.

Everyone gasped and Starfire lunged towards him, lifting him bridal style and flying off towards the Tower. The others just stared after her, their minds still processing everything that had happened in the past two minutes.

Eventually, Cyborg broke the silence by saying "Did anyone else just see what I think I saw?" The others nodded mutely, their eyes stilled glued to the still shrinking speck that was Starfire's retreating form.

"Should we…I don't know, follow them?" Changeling suggested, his eyes following the pair as they flew, his hawk-like vision allowing him to make out their every detail. Again, the other two nodded wordlessly, still staring at where Star and Nightwing had once been. Without preamble, they all turned back to the T-Car, one thought running through their minds:

_What the hell just happened?_


	2. Chapter 2- The Barrier Crumbles

**Well, I don't update for a whole day and I lose most of you guys. Are you really that impatient? Anyway, here's chapter 2. And for all you BB/Rae fans out there, as specified in the previous chapter, THEY SPLIT UP MUTUALLY! For before any of you decide to flame me for what happens, bear that in mind.**

* * *

When the others returned to the Tower they found Starfire and Robin in the infirmary, he laying on one of the beds, whilst she occupied a chair next to him, clutching one of his hands with her own like it was some kind of lifeline.

This wasn't a huge surprise, considering that after the events of Tokyo they had finally admitted their feelings for each other, and been nigh-on inseparable since.

She looked up as the others entered, worry clearly written on her face and in her feline emerald eyes.

Raven immediately walked up to the Princess and pulled her into a hug, she could feel the fear pouring off the alien and, quite frankly, it was scaring her.

As if some hidden switch had been thrown, Starfire starting crying, burying her head in Raven's shoulder whilst tears poured out of her eyes like a waterfall, heavy sobs wracking her elegant frame.

The boys reacted instinctively, each one setting up equipment or attaching wires to their friend's body as if they had been born doing it.

Starfire continued to cry throughout the process, venting her fear the only non-destructive way she knew how.

Raven just stood there, letting her friend's tidal wave of emotion wash over her, eyes glistening with unshed tears as her own emotions took hold.

Suddenly, there was a rapid beeping from one of the machines, and Robin shot upright, breathing hard. Starfire squealed and caught her boyfriend in one of her famous bone-crushing hugs.

"Star…can't…breathe" he gasped, his face having lost all it's colour, making him even paler than Raven on a bad day. She released him from her life-endangering grip, but quickly caught him in a searing kiss just before he could draw in a single breath. Raven blushed heavily, Cyborg rolled his eyes and Changeling just laughed.

Eventually, after a good five minutes, Cyborg had to intervene. He placed his hand on Star's shoulder and said "Star, for God's sake let the man breathe!" noticing the slight purple tinge to Robin's skin.

The couple separated, both of their chests heaving blushing heavily and glanced at each other with smouldering eyes.

Changeling coughed and said "If you two lovebirds are done, we have a situation to deal with." The air in the room changed and Robin instantly had his 'Bat-face' on and was all business.

"The transmissions," he ground out, "and _Slade._" His expression darkened to the point where everyone instinctively began comparing him to the Dark Knight; same no-nonsense expression, same dark brooding demeanour, and now same dark uniform. Starfire looked on with a worried expression, walked up and placed a slim hand on his shoulder.

He shuddered at the contact, and his dark expression lifted, life returning to his eyes. He smiled a wan smile before growing serious again. "Vic, play the last one again." he said, his eyes flinty behind his mask.

Cyborg nodded and replayed the second message, tapping away at a console on his arm. Everyone cringed when Freeze's voice sounded, their confusion and trepidation mounting. As soon as the doctor's speck finished, Cyborg stopped it.

"I placed a tracer on the chopper that Doctor Light escaped in" he said, bringing up a map of the city, with a small flashing dot over one of the buildings. "There they are, on top of the…huh, that's weird." Everyone leaned in closer to stare intently at the map, squinting to make out the tiniest detail. "The power plant? What the hell are they doing up there?"

Changeling started muttering under his breath "Superconductor…power plant…sequence start…optimum temperature…" then his eyes widened in horror.

"DUUUUDE!" he cried, his signature phrase shattering the silence as he started to hyperventilate, his hands shaking as if he were possessed.

Unbeknownst to most of the Titans, Garfield Mark Logan, AKA Changeling, was actually supremely intelligent, being the son of two famous zoologists, he just never showed it.

The others snapped around to face him, taking in his sudden pale complexion and his wild eyes.

"What?" Vic asked, concerned by his friend's sudden apparent breakdown. "What's wrong man? Talk to me!" But by this point Garfield was far past coherence, his words coming out jumbled and stuttering.

"T-th-the b-blizzard, its b-been engineered" he stammered, his eyes the size of dinner plates, his skin the same hue as a frost-covered pine needle, "They used the cold temperatures to allow the superconductor to work."

Starfire gasped, Robin and Cyborg looked ill, and even Raven's amethyst eyes widened in horror.

Then, another part of the message clicked into place.

"Whatever their doing, it culminates in roughly ten minutes" Robin stated, his voice stern, donning his 'Bat-face' once more. Cyborg studied the map once more, then glanced at Raven.

"Can you get us there Rae? You know I hate to ask, but I see no alternative." Raven swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as the Sahara desert.

"I-I can try" she said, her voice going up a few octaves. The others gather around her as she begins to chant her signature mantra, and soon enough there was a whirlwind of dark energy, as they slipped into the Void Between, and then they were on top of the Jump City nuclear plant.

What they saw next caused their collective jaw to drop.

* * *

There, on the roof of the power plant, stood Slade, Mister Freeze and; to everyone's amazement, Lex Luthor himself, all stood around what looked like an incredibly bulky film projector.

They were all doing complex things to the machinery; tweaking a cable connection here, fixing a computer program bug there, attaching a coolant pipe somewhere else.

But towering above them, and the thing that caught the Titans eyes, was what looked like a gigantic snow blower, ejecting thousands upon thousands of tiny ice crystals that rapidly cooled the air around them.

"So _that's_ what's been causing the flash freeze" Cyborg muttered, his cybernetic eye scanning the thing and storing the designs in his hard-drive for later evaluation.

Then, they heard Luthor speak "Sequence start in five minutes. Lord Loki, are your men prepared?"

Everyone looked slightly confused. Who was this Loki, and why was he working with Luthor?

Then an incredibly low hum tore through the air, making everyone's bones shake and the air to hammer against their eardrums.

The Titans hissed in pain, clutching their ears in a vain attempt to ease the sonic assault. The sudden sound caused Slade to look in their direction, his head turning as if in slow motion as his singular eye found them.

"Ah, the Titans" he drawled, drawing the attention of his two colleagues "Excellent timing, as always."

The ground shook as Luthor approached them, his signature battle suit changing him from the megalomaniacal businessman into a towering metallic behemoth.

"Friends of yours, Deathstroke?" he asked smoothly, his bald head, the only thing not covered by his suit, turned to look directly at the assassin/criminal mastermind, an eyebrow raised in silent question.

"Indeed" he replied, his voice completely monotone whilst his eye scanned over each of them before settling on Nightwing. "Ah, my old apprentice" his voice slithered up Nightwing's spine, making him grimace in distaste "so good to see you again."

Unconsciously, the others formed a protective wall around their leader, placing their bodies between him and the Terminator.

Slade chuckled at the sight. "Really? Do you honestly think that the four of you will be able to stop me taking him, if the urge should take me?"

The collective glare that the Titans sent his way was all the answer he needed. There was another sudden pulsing hum from the machine, causing the Titans to cringe again, yet didn't affect the villains in any way.

"Sequence start in two minutes" Freeze said, his voice flat from outside his suit, his gloved fingers caressing the keys of the computer before him.

Nightwing's eyes bulged behind his mask, his mind going into overdrive as he processed all possible actions and potential consequences of those actions.

"Titans GO!" he bellowed, wrenched his escrema sticks from their shoulder-holsters and charged, leaping off Cyborg's shoulders at Deathstroke and swinging an escrema directly at the Terminator's masked head. With near inhuman grace, Deathstroke leaned back on his heels, leaving the stick to glide harmlessly past his face.

That was all it took for the others to snap back to reality, and with fluid movements that looked completely choreographed, they too charged. Starfire leapt into the air, quickly followed by Raven, unbridled joy powering her skyward whilst she rained righteous fury indiscriminately upon her enemies in the form of emerald starbolts, littering the rooftop with explosions.

Cyborg tried to charge Freeze, but was knocked sideways by a well-placed punch from Luthor, his metallic fists slamming into his plated shoulder, sending him to the floor.

Changeling morphed into a triceratops and charged at Luthor, his sharp horns punching through the four inch steel plating that covered his shins and piercing his flesh.

He cried out in pain and, in retaliation, grasped the green dinosaur by its frill and flung it against one of the coolant towers. The hardened concrete shattered as ten tonnes of green dinosaur slammed into its base, sending large chunks of it hurtling into the air. Then the entire tower started to collapse, tilting precariously to one side.

Everyone paused to stare at the sight, their fights momentarily forgotten. The tower groaned under the increased stress of supporting its own weight, before finally giving into gravity and toppling over, sending hundreds of tonnes of solid concrete hurtling towards the ground and, to the Titan's assembled horror, Changeling.

"Garfield!" Raven screamed, dashing towards her fallen ex, flying as fast as her will could carry her. The others soon followed suit, abandoning their assailants in preference to their fallen comrade.

But just they neared his now-human fallen form, the base of the tower began to buckle, the supports that once held it in place shattering from the weight.

Then, from out of nowhere, a loud cry was heard, and the tower stopped mere inches from crushing the cowering Changeling to dust, its outline glowing a faint yellow.

As if in slow motion, the group turned to see a familiar figure standing behind them, her long blonder hair swirling around her head like a halo, her eyes blazing a defiant yellow, as did her gloved hands which were raised in a grasping gesture, as if she was tried to hold the entire tower up from where she stood.

Her face was unforgettable to them, the friendship, the happiness, the betrayal and heartbreak that they related to that face made sure of that.

* * *

"Terra!" they yelled, a mix of relief, disbelief and slow-burning anger infusing the voices of the Titans, their eyes once again wide in amazement.

The girl in question grunted in answer, before heaving the tower above and over them, towards Slade and the other villains who, aside from Freeze, were still standing exactly where they had been before Terra appeared.

Freeze was still typing away at his computer. "Sequence start in one minute" he said, his voice cold and clinical **(no pun intended)**.

Just as he finished that sentence, the remnants of the coolant tower slammed into the roof around them, sending huge chunks of concrete and rebar flying into the air. With a cry of fear, the doctor curled himself around the device as if to shield it with his own body.

Luthor looked up from where he crouched, only for a slab of cement to hit him square in the chest and face, shattering against his suit but sending him stumbling back a few steps.

Out of all the villains, surprisingly it was Slade who was hit worst. Just as he turned to attack the Titans, a tower fragment the size of a small Land Rover smashed into him, sending him flying into the wall of the nearby Administration building where he lay, as if crucified, with his entire body comically embedded in the stonework.

Terra grinned maniacally and hissed "That's for using me, bitch" right before her legs gave out from beneath her.

To everyone's amazement, Changeling sprang from where he lay, supposedly unconscious, to catch her bridal style before she hit the ground.

No one missed the blush that graced her face when he caught her, or the way her hair hung across her face to hide it from all view except his.

Nor did they miss the way Changeling's eyes lit up when she shyly looked up at him, or the way his elf-like ears perked up when she blushed. It was only now, after the madness of battle, did the Titans actually get a good look at her.

She had grown, not as much as the others, but enough to come up to Changeling's eye level, and wore a black crop top with bright yellow shorts, exactly like her previous Titan getup.

The main features they all noticed were her curves, now they had the time to look closer. They formed a near-perfect hourglass figure; nowhere near as prominent as Starfire's, slightly less than Raven's, but it was bound to draw looks from anyone she passed in the street.

* * *

"Hey" he said, unable to keep the smugness from his voice, even as it rose an octave in slight surprise. Terra's blush deepened, and she desperately tried to cover her face with her hair, but to no avail.

"Hey" she replied softly, looking up at him shyly through her eyelashes. Changeling's face split into his signature toothy grin, and his eyes were sparkling in their sockets.

The moment was shattered when they all heard the rubble above them shift, and the groans of the villains reached their ears. Their heads snapped up to see Luthor digging out Freeze and the machine, whilst Slade forcefully removed himself from the wall he had been slammed into. Amazingly, the cryogenicist barely suffered any injuries, aside from the occasional mark on his suit. He scrambled towards his computer before anyone could stop him. He glanced down at the displays.

"Sequence start in one minute" he said, and the pulses from the machine quickened, slamming into the eardrums of the Titians like a demented drum. The horribly low hum sounded again, louder this time; and lights appeared along the cables of the machine, making it shine like a neon sign.

The Titans leapt into action, all bearing down on the infernal machine about to do God-knew-what. Even Terra, despite being exhausted after the stunt with the coolant tower, managed to summon enough energy to stand and fight, rings of fist-sized rocks orbiting her wrists. They threw themselves into the fight with abandon, blows being exchanged in almost every conceivable direction.

This time Freeze decided enough was enough and broke out the big guns-literally. In his gloved hands he grasped his freeze gun, spitting freezing…_something_ through the air, coating anything and everything it touched in a sheet of ice. The Titans desperately dodged the flurry as best they could, ducking and swerving to avoid turning into human ice cubes. Luthor and Slade engaged them head-on, using their size and speed as their friends.

Luthor tried bludgeoning Changeling into a fine green paste on the floor, yet grew increasingly frustrated as the shape-shifter simply flickered between forms to avoid his attacks. His focus was shifted from the walking grass stain as a blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon slammed into his back, sending him to the ground. He growled in annoyance as he rose, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears.

Nearby, Slade was locked in combat with both Nightwing and Starfire, which was proving quite a challenge for the assassin. Every time he tried to get a swing at Nightwing, one of Star's starbolts would hit him, and every time he tried to retaliate, Nightwing's escrema sticks would smash into his torso. He had to resort to pure defence, using his bo-staff to fend off both starbolts and escrema attacks.

Freeze was fending off Raven and Terra, using his freeze gun to halt the geomancer's projectiles and block some of Raven's magic. Growling in frustration, Terra tore a chunk of concrete from the corpse of the coolant tower and threw it at the doctor. At the exact same moment, Raven threw her most powerful spell at the poor cryogenicist, her demonic eyes glowing a harsh red. The spell collided with the back of the impromptu boulder, sending it even faster towards its target. All three parties could only watch as it slammed into the building, sending large chunks of bricks and steel into the air. All battles paused as they stared at the crater where Freeze had once stood. When the ice man emerged from the hole, time seemed to un-pause and battle resumed.

They fought for what felt like hours, dodging and giving blows in equal measure.

Then, suddenly, Freeze got lucky.

He raised his freeze gun at Raven and snapped off a shot, watching as it sailed through the air towards its target. Terra seemed to be the only one to notice, so when she screamed "Raven!" the demoness barely had time to turn before the shot impacted…but not on her. There, barely an inch away from her face, was a small slab of ice-encrusted stone, glowing a faint yellow. Raven glanced at Terra, and noticed the fatigue in her features. Before anyone could react, the blonde sent said slab hurtling downwards…straight towards the projector. It smashed into the casing, dislodging some wires and shattering some of the internal capacitors.

Big. Mistake.

The device began whirring like crazy, lightning flying off it in all directions. Everyone turned to stare at the malfunctioning contraption, watching in horrified awe as a bright blue beam of energy shot from the projector. It sped through the air to the centre of the roof, where it seemed to disappear. Then, quite suddenly, a horrific boom rent the air, followed by a huge concussion wave that flung everyone to the ground.

Before their eyes, a shimmering hole in space appeared, displaying only the Void the Lies Between. All the Titans had their eyes riveted to the hole, all of them wondering what was on the other side and, if there was something…or some_one_, was it friend, or foe?

* * *

**Yay! Terra's back! If any of you were expecting her to come in later, don't worry, all will explained in the next chapter. In the meantime, read, review and enjoy. Adios!**


	3. Chapter 3- The Grand Entrance

**Well folks, here's chapter 3, sorry for the late update I had to recover from file corruption. To answer some of the questions from the reviews yes, the OC appears in this chapter, and of couse there'll be Deadpool! How you could exclude the Merc with Mouth is beyond me, but alas, he won't be appearing until later. And kudos to all of you that actually looked at this, I wasn't expecting this many views. So anyway, on with the show!**

**A/N: For reference, here are the ages of the Titans:**

**Cyborg: 22**

**Nightwing, Starfire, Raven: 19**

**Changeling, Terra: 18**

* * *

Both hero and villain lay, flat on their backs, staring at the breach, all silently questioning exactly _what_ would emerge. Small shockwaves still washed over them, yet none of them stronger than a gentle breeze. When nothing emerged after five minutes, they rose and approached it slowly, cautiously. The Titans held back, letting the masterminds behind this…_thing_, go first.

They approached it warily, weapons raised and aimed at the portal mouth. They surrounded the entrance, peering into the Void to find some form of exit on the other side. Then another rumbling boom rent the air, this time coming from within, and a cone of shimmering golden light flooded out. The three stumbled backwards, momentarily blinded. Even those behind them were struck by the sudden brightness, raising an arm over their eyes to shield them.

Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed out of the breach, and they saw three human silhouettes emerge from within.

"Very good" one of them said; his voice light and lilting, with an almost regal quality, and definitely masculine, "I didn't actually think a dimensional breach was possible."

He waved his hand, and the shadow that had concealed them disappeared. The light revealed three men, varying in height and stature, with two of them flanking the third.

The man on the left looked elderly, and was clad in dark crimson robes, with a helm of the same colour, yet his wrinkles looked like years of erosion against solid granite and not the result of aging.

The man on the right looked more like a statue than human, his entire body completely coated in iron, his face obscured by an iron mask, with electricity dancing down his forearms and across his fingers, while a hooded cloak swept over his back.

The man in the centre was what really drew their attention. He had shoulder-length, swept back black hair, which was covered with a golden helm with two horns jutting from its brow whilst a few strands clung to his brows. He wore flowing emerald robes, the top half of which was covered by a golden breastplate, and in his hand he held and golden bladed sceptre, with a glowing sapphire inlaid at its head whilst the blade curved over it. His emerald orbs swept across the landscape, taking in every detail. His eyes soon fell upon the three criminals, who all dropped to one knee at his attention.

"My lord Loki" Luthor began, his head bowed "I welcome you to our Earth, and offer our full co-operation." Loki-if that was his name- chuckled lightly before beckoning to them to rise.

"Ah, a world where even my dearest brother cannot trouble me" he said wistfully, tilting his head back and taking a deep breath "Tis a glorious thought." His eyes hardened as his head snapped round to glare at the Titans, his hands tightening around the haft of his staff.

"But of course" he continued, his voice cold "there are always those who try to interfere with what they don't understand." He advanced on the Titans, sceptre raised and glowing dangerously. The Titans rose swiftly, raising their weapons against this unknown foe, eyes searching, analysing, questioning.

* * *

Throwing caution to the wind, Nightwing yelled "Titans…GO!" and ran straight at Loki, escrema sticks poised.

The intruder sighed, as if he had witnessed this a thousand times before, and simply swung his staff like a baseball bat, hitting Nightwing across the chest and sending him flying across the plant. That act got the others moving, charging across the concrete like they were possessed.

Once again, Loki sighed, gesturing to his companions as he did so. The crimson clad one raised his hands in a grasping gesture, and a large piece of rebar rose into the air behind the Titans.

With a flick of his wrist he sent it hurtling towards them, spinning it end over end as it flew. It bowled Changeling over before slamming into Cyborg's shoulder sending him sliding across the ground, until he slammed into the portal device. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the bulky projector and crawled over to where Changeling lay.

That left the girls to engage the steel soldier, who watched impassively as they circled him. They barely noticed the way his fingers twitched before lightning bolts filled the air around them, forcing them to jink and weave to avoid being zapped by half a million volts. But due to the sheer number of them, it came as no surprise when Starfire screamed in pain as one stray bolt slammed into her abdomen, forcing her out of the sky.

The other girls gasped as they watched their friend fall, before glaring at their assailant and renewing their efforts, sending even more dark energy and rocks toward him. He dodged their poorly-aimed attacks with ease, bending his body out of the way at the last possible second before retaliating with a salvo of lightning bolts.

Then the other villains joined in, Luthor launching a salvo of missiles in their direction, Slade firing his pistol at them, and Freeze firing a burst of refrigerants at them. Loki suddenly raised his hand for them to stop, and just as they lowered their weapons he raised his staff and loosed a cluster of sapphire magic bolts, watching as they slammed with unerring accuracy into the heroines and forcing them to the ground. He glanced at them as Nightwing hauled himself back up onto the roof, and chuckled darkly as he slumped down next to his teammates.

"Let this be a lesson to you" he said, his voice filled with contempt "Mess with us at you own peril. I will not be held responsible for your folly. You have been warned." And with that, flanked by the others, he waved his hand and they vanished in a cloud of smoke and magic.

Nightwing raised himself up with a groan, silently cursing himself for being this stupid.

"Titans" he moaned, his voice hoarse from the beating he had taken, "report." The groans that followed his order confirmed his suspicions, they had gotten their asses well and truly whooped.

"Raven" he began "can you get us back to the Tower?" Honestly, he hated making her do this, but it was the only place they would be truly safe. The grey-skinned Titan nodded weakly, and once again the party was engulfed in black energy before phasing through the roof into the Void that Lies Between; only to appear in the infirmary of Titan Tower, where she promptly collapsed. Cyborg lifted her bridal style, careful not to jostle her, and looked at Nightwing.

"I'll take her to her room" he told him "I recommend we all do the same. Business can wait 'til mornin'." Everyone nodded, and all bar Nightwing shuffled out.

Just before Cy crossed the threshold, he turned and said "Dick, for the love of God, put yo' ass to bed. You look worse than Star on a bad hair day." Dick chuckled at the familiar image, despite his injuries, and followed his friend out. Soon, all the Titans had reached their respective rooms, and slumped on their beds as weariness overtook them.

In Star's case however, she wrapped her arms around Dick's toned chest and pulled him closer to her whilst resting her head on his shoulder, sighing as his hands stroked her ruby locks whilst his heartbeat lulled her to sleep, having moved into his room a week after Tokyo.

_Business can wait_ he thought, glancing down at his girlfriend, _'cause I have all I need right here._ And for the first time in years, Dick Grayson fell asleep smiling.

* * *

Raven thrashed in her sleep, her closed eyes baring witness to horrendous scenes of carnage, depravity, and downright sadism. She saw the pillaging of entire towns, watched in horror as whole villages were put to the torch, and could only stare helplessly as millions of people were systematically and robotically executed, their lives snuffed out by a single bullet.

She woke up screaming, her amethyst eyes wide and wild as her gaze shot around her room. Taking long, calming breaths, she drew the duvet around her naked form whilst surveying her room again.

Suddenly, her door echoed with the sound of urgent banging, and she screeched at the sudden noise, shooting backward to hug the wall whilst her eyes remained pinned to the door. The banging continued; it almost sounded like something was trying to knock the door off its hinges. Yet behind that barrage of noise, she could make out voices, calling her name.

"Raven!" Dick hollered, his voice muffled by the door, hammering his fists against the steel plate, yet she could still make out the tone of worry in his voice. "Damn it Vic, get this door open!" he yelled, his frustration and worry mounting by the minute.

The banging stopped, only to be replaced by the sound of quiet tapping as Cyborg punching in the code for her door, and it opened with a hiss to reveal the other pyjama-clad Titans piling into her room, practically falling over each other in an effort in check on their distraught friend.

Terra emerged from behind them, stepping carefully over the pile of thrashing limbs to approach Raven carefully, her sapphire orbs eying the demoness warily, hands shaking ever-so-slightly.

"Hey" she whispered, still not entirely sure where she stood in terms of favour. Raven's eyes hardened slightly, her eyes boring into the blonde's soul, searching for any sign of deceit or malevolence. Terra sighed when she saw Raven's stare. "Oh come on" she exclaimed "do you honestly think that if I wanted to betray you I'd make it that obvious?!"

Seeing that her response didn't even phase Raven, she threw her fears in the abyss and lunged at the enchantress and wrapped her hand around her bicep and let Raven's empathetic powers do the rest. Raven stiffened when Terra's hand closed around her arm, then gasped when images invaded her mind. Above the flood of Terra's memories, three images were extremely prominent.

One was of Terra when they first met her, confident and friendly yet afraid of her powers.

The one next to it was of Terra when she was Slade's apprentice, having gained control of her powers yet at the loss of her freedom.

The last one, and perhaps the most profound, was that of Terra as she was after Trigon's banishment.

It showed a timid Terra, staring out at the world through the veil of her hair, clutching a book tightly to her chest, afraid of everything around her and fearful of her past. Raven felt like she had been doused in artic water, and when Terra removed her hand she stared at her, eyes wide in shock.

"It was true" she murmured, her voice barely audible above the scrambling of the others as they tried to extradite themselves from each other "you _were_ telling the truth." And before the geomancer could react, Raven crushed her in a hug that rivalled Star's in bone-crushing pressure. "I'm so sorry" she said, her voice breaking as she tried to fight back tears as she buried her head in Terra's shoulder.

Terra could only lay there- Raven had pulled her onto her bed when she hugged her- and return the hug. Inside her, it felt like a hidden piece had slid into place. She felt -for lack of a better term- whole once again.

It was then did they both register the silence that enveloped them, and slowly turned to look at the others. Having managed to untangle themselves, they all stood in a line whilst observing the scene before them.

Nightwing stood stoically, although his mouth curved upward slightly.

Cyborg stood with a defined smile on his face, his human eye sparkling with pride at his 'little sister'.

Changeling's jaw was on the floor, his eyes almost falling out of his head.

Starfire had a wide smile on her angelic face, her eyes lit up like searchlights, and she started to float two inches above the ground.

Blushing madly, Terra shot upright and away from Raven to stand near to Changeling, desperately trying to hide her face whilst Raven merely burrowed deeper under her sheets. Then, as if the event had never happened, their faces turned sombre again.

"Raven, what was that?" Cyborg asked, his tone concerned and his brow furrowed with worry.

"Yeah" Nightwing continued "I've actually been to hell, and _that_ sounded like it had come straight from it." The others nodded, their concern clear in their auras and in their eyes.

"Please friend" Starfire begged "do the telling of what is wrong." Raven glanced at her friends, before releasing a long-suffering sigh. She then went on to explain her dream, the images and the pain. Everyone besides Terra winced sympathetically when she mentioned the executions.

"And this only just came up?" Nightwing questioned, his curiosity thoroughly piqued. She nodded, not trusting herself enough to speak, lest her emotions run out of control. Their leader pondered the problem for a moment, analysing all the potential solutions to her nightmare. "Cy, do you have anything that could stop this from happening again?" he suddenly asked, turning his attention to the man-machine. Cyborg searched through his entire database, his eyes staring into space, seeking the solution he knew to be there.

"Yup, got just the thing" he said eventually, refocusing his attention on Raven. "I know you'll hate this, but the only thing I have is prazosin." Raven groaned, the thought of drugs running through her system was almost as bad as that of suffering these new dreams. Almost. "I'll do it" she said, her tone as final as a prison sentence. Nightwing nodded, then checked his watch. 3:26 Am. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Alright, we should get back to bed" he said, motioning to the guys to follow him. "If you girls want to…I don't know, talk for a few hours" he continued, his startling blue orbs connecting with Star's fierce emerald ones "then go ahead."

The boys left with matching sly smiles on their faces, and Raven was horrified when both Starfire and Terra joined her on her bed.

"So…" Terra began, the same sly smirk on her face. "What've I missed?"

* * *

Later that morning, the girls entered the Ops room to see the boys already there, going about their daily routine, fortunately having changed into their respective uniforms.

Cyborg and Changeling were, predictably, sat at the game console and boisterously trying to beat the other's fighter into a virtual bloody pulp, and Nightwing was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. He looked up when he heard the door hiss open, and smiled when he saw Starfire.

"Hey-" he began to say before the Titan alarm sounded, and a map of Jump City replaced Cyborg's game, with a large red flashing dot over the docks.

"Some kind of rift opening there" Cyborg reported, looking up from his screen, "exactly the same kind as before." That got people's attention, making them all focus exclusively on the screen.

"Location?" Nightwing asked; his brow furrowing as his brain went into overdrive, his eyes narrowing as he quickly considered all the possibilities. Cyborg quickly scanned the coordinates, his processors crunching the numbers faster than any human could.

"Pier 15" he replied, before puzzlement infused his voice "Fifteen hundred feet _above_ it, to be exact." That pulled everyone up short, forcing them all to re-evaluate the situation.

"Let's think about this later" Terra suggested "before whatever's causing that punches its way through reality." The others nodded in agreement before speeding off through the window; the panes retracting as they approached.

They rose quickly, Nightwing being held by Starfire, Cyborg riding on Changeling's back as he flew as a Pterosaur, Terra riding on a giant slab of rock and Raven who flew beside her; her new-found trust having established itself rather quickly after the previous night's incident.

They saw it rather quickly; little more than slight ripples in the air. But when they were still a hundred yards from it, it suddenly split to reveal the breach from the power plant.

From within it came a shimmering sound than belonged in Battlestar Galactica, and before the Titans amazed eyes a metallic leviathan jumped into existence in a ball of light, hovering in place thanks to the four gigantic turbines that were placed at all four corners. It looked like a military aircraft carrier that had been overhauled to support the great engines, and still was able to support its own weight whilst airborne.

The Titans gasped, amazement filling them.

On the side of the mighty vessel the word _S.H.I.E.L.D_ was emblazoned in bold black block capitals, whilst the image of an eagle stood proudly above it. They rose above it to get a better look at it when the sound of whirring caught their attention, and looked down to see dozens of SAM launchers begin to swivel in their direction.

"This is Director Nicholas Fury of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage Logistics Division of the U.S. government" a voice boomed from hidden speakers; loud, deep and extremely intimidating. "You are in violation of our airspace. You have two minutes to either explain yourselves or vacate the area. If you comply with neither request we will be forced to use deadly force." The Titans glanced at each other, worry written all over their features, before Nightwing reached for his communicator.

"This is Nightwing of the Titans" he said, his voice clear and strong, "I request an audience with Director Fury on a matter of extreme importance." There was no response for a few tense seconds, before the landing lights began flashing, and a set of huge doors laid into the very landing strip began to open.

"Very well Nightwing" Fury's voice sounded "I will have a security team meet you on the landing deck, and they will escort you to the bridge. If you or any of your team try _anything_, they will dispose of you."

They all knew the threat was not an idle one, they could tell that purely from the man's tone. They descended into the bowels of the ship, Changeling morphing back into his human forms once the doors had boomed shut as an elevator took them down. When the doors opened they were met by a team of heavily armed, and armoured, hard-faced marines.

"This way" one of them said gruffly, motioning down one of the endless hallways with the barrel of his M-4. As soon as they stepped forward the team surrounded them, blocking any and all escape routes. They went down innumerable passageways, past uncountable rooms, labs and training halls, until they arrived at a large set of inlaid doors.

"Director Fury is through there" the guard said, punching in the access code. As the doors hissed open and the Titans strode through, the first thing that hit them was the sheer scale of the room.

It was massive. You could've fit all the Titans and the Justice League in it and still have room for more. Consoles dominated the lower floor, with people walking between them like ants in a nest. They were brought back to the present when someone cleared their throat behind them.

They turned around to stare into the eyes of people they had deemed pure fiction. There stood an entire team of heroes: one of them clad in a form-hugging red, white and blue outfit, with a round shield of the same colour scheme resting at his feet whilst he lent against a nearby wall, his young face and blonde face extremely striking.

Another sat in a chair, clad in a black skin-tight bodyglove, her shoulder-length red hair obscuring her face as she dismantled her twin pistols.

Beside her sat a man no older than twenty five, clad in a sleeveless version of the outfit of his female colleague, a black fibre-glass bow laid on the table before him with the quiver resting on the floor beside him.

Beside the first man stood someone that looked like he had just jumped out of a Norse mythology book, his blonde hair, striking blue eyes and chiselled features all the more prominent thanks to the sleeveless silver armour he wore, the crimson cape swirling around his ankles, and the war hammer he held lightly in his right hand crackling with energy.

On the other side of the room sat two men; one clad in jeans and a checker flannel shirt, with a shock of brown hair and a pair of wide-rimmed spectacles over his forest-green eyes, holding what looked like a PDA.

The man beside him was clad in a futuristic suit of red armour with gold trim, with some kind of reactor glowing a light blue in the chestplate, leaving only his head exposed. He had brown hair, with a slight beard with a full moustache, and intelligent hazel eyes that seemed to analyse everything they saw, whilst at the same time laughing at everything life threw at them as he glanced down at whatever it was the other man was showing him.

Behind him, leaning over his shoulder was a striking middle-age woman, with sparkling blue eyes and fiery ginger hair that cascading over his shoulder and onto his torso, blending into the red of his armour. She was also clad in a similar suit to the man, the only difference being that it was clearly suited for a more feminine figure than the original.

When their eyes turned to the final member Raven's breath caught in her throat.

Before them stood a young man no older than she was, his shock of jet-black hair striking and piercing grey eyes that didn't look at her, but _through_ her, into the very depths of her soul. He too was clad in a set of armour, but unlike the others his was slightly bulkier; having two M134 miniguns mounted on its shoulders, and a series of larger metal plates on the shoulders, chestplate, forearms, wrists, knees and shins that the Titan's assumed concealed even more weaponry. Also unlike the other two, it was black and silver instead of red and gold.

In the centre of his chest was a fist-sized turbine, the inside glowed with an orange glow, the same colour as the sun, and spun with an almost inaudible hum. He looked at each of the Titan individually, looking them all dead in the eye, as though weighing their threat level. His gaze lingered on Raven the longest, his eyes burrowing into hers as if searching for something hidden there.

"There you are" A voice from the door said, and everyone turned to see two men enter. Both had skin the colour of oiled mahogany, and both had the bearing of military men. The only differences were that the man on the right was clad in a blue, red and silver version of the now-apparently-really-common suit of armour with a star emblazoned on the chestplate and a Gatling gun on his right shoulder; plus the man on the left was clad in black shirt, trousers and long leather jacket, and an eye patch over the remains of his left eye.

* * *

"Director Fury?" Nightwing asked, eying both men apprehensively. The man on the left nodded and extended his hand.

"And you must be Nightwing." he replied as Nightwing took the proffered hand and shook it. "What exactly did you mean when you said 'an extremely urgent matter'?" he asked, sitting down at the head of a long table in the centre of the room, motioning for the others to do the same.

When everyone was sat, Fury said "First off, I think it's best if we start with the introductions." He proceeded to name the people around them:

The man in the red-white-and-blue jumpsuit was Steve Rodgers, more commonly known and Captain America; the two people in black bodygloves were Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, or Black Widow and Hawkeye.

The blonde armoured man was called Thor, and according to everyone there he was the literal, Norse God of Lightning Thor, not just some idiot lookalike.

The man in civvies was Professor Bruce Banner, the man behind the Hulk and intellectual genius. The two people in red and gold armour were Tony Stark and Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, or Iron Man and Rescue, and the man in blue was Colonel James Rhodes, or the Iron Patriot.

"And this" Fury said, gesturing to the young man they saw before "is David Isaac Stark, the son of our illustrious Tony Stark." David inclined his head to the Titans, his face polite yet showing a hint of frustration at the mention of his father.

"That or Steel Rain" he said, his baritone voice sending shivers up Raven's spine "whatever you choose."

Changeling spoke up, his voice one of awe "Wow, so _you're _the Avengers!" Chuckles broke out across the table at the look of stupefied awe that crossed across most of the Titans' faces.

Raven was one of the only ones to keep a straight face, but suddenly she felt eyes on her, and looked up to see David looking intently at her, his face one of curiosity and silent respect, as if he wanted to ask her something, but refrained from doing so on account of her person. Getting back on topic, Nightwing brought up a hologram of the city and pointed out the two breaches, and explained their encounter with the three villains at the power plant. Thor visibly stiffened at the mention of Loki, his grip on Mjolnir tightening until his knuckles were white. The Titans noticed this, but made no comment.

"We have no idea who the other two are" Nightwing finished "so we could use your help with this." He sat back down, eying the Avengers warily, watching for their reaction.

Thor's face was white as snow, murmuring under his breath "He escaped for Asgard, he escaped from the Royal dungeons, he bypassed father's best guards…" The others wore similar expression of shock and worry, all but David.

His face was one of concentration, his eyes scanning over the map in excruciating detail. Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the bridge, and everyone snapped up standing, hands on their weapons.

"Report!" Fury bellowed, his voice loud in the enclosed space. A technician ran in and said "Sir, radar just picked up three unidentified objects, heading right for us." Everyone ran out of the conference room and into the bridge, horrified of what could be this close already.

"Bring it up on the monitor one" Fury ordered, expanding the holographic screen saw they all see it.

Suddenly a very familiar black jet appeared, flanked by a small red and blue humanoid figure and another smaller one, any details were impossible to make out over the distance.

The radio crackled, and a familiar gruff voice said "This is Batman, representing the Justice League of America to unknown aircraft. I wish to speak to your commander."

Fury glanced at the Titans in exasperation. "Do you plan this?" he asked, his voice breathless and exasperated.

Nightwing just shrugged and said "It's Batman, and one thing I've learned from being Robin is he never, _ever_, truly leaves people alone." Fury sighed and raised the radio to his mouth.

"This Director Fury to Batman, I have your protégé here with me, he has explained the situation. You are cleared to dock. We will meet you in Hanger Bay 6." He motioned to one of the crewmen below him, who began talking into his own radio, presumably talking to Batman as air-traffic controller. Fury sighed, wiped his brow with his hand, and said "Shall we greet our guests?" before striding out of the room.

The others soon followed him, the Titans bringing up the rear. Soon they were all crammed in an elevator going down to the Hanger Bays.

Nightwing audibly gulped, he had been dreading this meeting.

Sooner than he would've liked, the doors hissed open and they walked out to meet the Justice League, and Batman.

* * *

**Whew, that was a long one. Anyway, the Avengers are here! *cheer* I added Pepper and Rhodey because hey, why not? And yes, the OC is the son of Iron Man. Next time we'll find out what the hell is going on, Dick has a nice heart-to-heart with Bruce, and we find out why David has a turbine in his chest. Until then, read review and enjoy. Chaio!  
**


	4. Chapter 4- Birds, Bats and Bombs

**Well, here's Chapter 4. And man, don't update for a few days and you guys just abandon me for the latest cutie with a word count higher than 1000. Anyway, here we endure another Dick/Bruce dukeout, see an example David's horrible anger management issues, and find out why the hell a small turbine is embedded in his sternum.**

* * *

The group emerged into the vast expanse that was Hanger Bay 6, the Titans glancing at the huge array of equipment; both repair and ordnance, and numerous of F-16 Falcon fighter jets, each one with its one repair bay, repair and loading equipment.

Beyond that, on the lowering landing pad, stood the Batwing with Superman and Wonder Woman flanking it, arms relaxed at their sides, their eyes scanning everything before them.

And standing in front of the nose of the black jet, clad in full crime-fighting regalia, stood the Dark Knight himself.

The Caped Crusader scanned his eyes over the group as they approached, his eyes lingering of Dick longer than strictly necessary, something that didn't go unnoticed by David, his scientific mind storing the information away for later use.

As soon as the pad touched down, the trio strode forth towards the group, confidence oozing from their every step. The group stopped as they approached them, falling into two separate lines; Avengers on one side and Titans on the others, with David in between the two groups and Fury before him.

"Director Fury I presume?" Batman asked, his gruff voice sounding like tyres running over gravel.

David snickered as Batman, consciously or not, repeated his son's greetings words.

The irony wasn't lost on the others, and multiple grins and chuckles broke out amidst the Avengers, whilst the Titans merely glanced despairingly at Dick who merely shrugged.

All three Justice Leaguers raised an eyebrow in confusion, until they saw Dick amongst the crowd and understanding infused Superman's and Wonder Woman's features, and they smiled whilst the Dark Knight's signature and seemingly permanent scowl stayed in place, even if his eyes did soften ever-so-slightly.

The two shook hands; and whilst the director repeated the process with the other two,

Batman caught Dick's eye and drew him to one side. They walked away from the group, stopping just inside a fighter repair bay, with Dick sitting on a tool trolley and Batman leaning against the fuselage of the fighter.

"Okay Bruce" Dick started; his eyes narrowed behind his mask "why have you dragged me over here? Don't tell me it was a heart-to-heart; we both know how they end up."

Bruce looked at his adoptive son, actually _looked_ at him, instead of merely glancing over him as he had done before. Instead of the boy that he had rescued from the circus all those years ago, he saw the man that boy had become; strong, independent, intelligent and clearly capable of making his own decisions without someone constantly looking over his shoulder.

However, in true Batman fashion, the first words out of his mouth were blunt and straight to the point.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded; his voice, while quiet, pummelled Dick's eardrums like a jackhammer. The one question that he was bound to ask, and the one he hated the most.

"I _think_" he said, stressing the word "I'm leading a very talented team of heroes, protecting a city no one else gives a damn about, _and_ I think I'm doing a pretty good job" he finished calmly, leaning back with a smug smirk on his face. Bruce merely looked on, mouth set in a thin line, eyes flinty.

"You found a machine capable of punching a hole in the dimensional barrier, you discovered three of the worst and ingenious villains managed to pull three even _more_ ingenious villains through for an unknown purpose, you got your asses handed to you on a silver platter by said villains, then find _another_ hole in the barrier, and you don't even contact me, Clark, Diana, or _any_ of the Justice League before investigating! _In fact_, the only reason I know _anything_ about this is thanks to the orbital satellite J'onn set up!" he practically shouted, ticking the items off on his fingers, flicking them with such force Dick was certain that they would fly off his hand.

David heard the shouting, and turned in the direction of the brewing screaming match to see both black-clad heroes at each other's throats.

He cocked his head, his brows furrowing and his eyes narrowing to slits in concentration and perplexity.

Raven noticed his change in emotion, and unconsciously turned in his direction so see what was wrong.

"Ah, guys?" she said, her voice rising over the conversation going on "We may have a problem."

* * *

Everyone fell silent and turned to look at whatever she had noticed.

The Titans and Leaguers openly groaned when they saw Dick and Bruce verbally duking it out, whilst the Avengers only watched on in confusion.

Raven, who had moved nearer to David to get a better look, noticed that the hum of the turbine in his chest had increased in volume, and when she looked it had increased in speed for whatever reason, the glow beneath getting slightly brighter.

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the attention they had attracted, Dick yelled "So you expect me to call you whenever something new comes up?! Do you have ANY idea how much time that wastes? And Ileft for this EXACT reason!"

His voice rose again, becoming a full-out roar. "You NEVER leave me alone! You ALWAYS criticise my work! It's like you're never satisfied unless it's done YOUR way! 'Your way or no way', isn't that what Jason used to say?"

Bruce winced upon hearing the second Robin's name, the hurt appearing in his eyes like a cloud, only to be replaced by smouldering rage.

"How DARE you criticise me!" He bellowed, his voice filling the entire hanger. "I was the one who adopted you! I was the one who trained you! You'd be nothing without me!" his hands balled into tight fists with every sentence.

Beyond Bruce's voice, Raven could hear an increasingly growing hum, and turned to see David's face grow from one of confusion to one of frustration and anger.

The Avengers must've heard it too, for they hurriedly tried to interpose themselves between David and the brewing storm.

But it was too late.

With one last look at the duo, David flared his nostrils and strode forward, pushing past the others, his turbine screaming like the souls of the damned, with small jets of flame escaping between the blades.

When he got to about fifteen feet of them, his hands balled into fist and he drew in a deep breath. It was only then that Dick and Bruce's ears picked up the scream of the turbine, but they were too caught up in their argument to take much notice.

Eventually, five minutes after the argument started, David roared "ENOUGH!" and a positive firestorm erupted from the turbine, extending a good twenty feet outward from his chest, forcing the duo to dive for cover, effectively separating them whilst his arms swung wide.

The Avengers merely sighed and hung their heads whilst the others stared at David with a mixture of respect, curiosity, fear and awe, their eyes wide as saucers. For five long minutes the fire shot from his chest, scorching the surrounding bulkheads and plane fuselage.

When it ended David fell to all fours, chest heaving as the turbine began to slow. Rhodes and Tony grabbed him by the biceps and hauled him up, wrapping one of his arms around their shoulders to support him.

Dick and Bruce poked their heads out from behind their cover to see if the fusillade had stopped, then cautiously made their way out.

"What the _hell_ was THAT?" Dick asked, his voice slightly shaky "That felt like I'd been dunked inside an active volcano!"

Batman eyed David, noticing the slight scorching on his chestplate.

"How did he do that?" he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at David. Fury sighed, running a hand over his face and said "Follow me" before heading towards the elevator, the Avengers hot on his heels, David hanging limp from his place between their shoulders. The others stared after them for a few moments, before following after them, curiosity thoroughly piqued.

* * *

The arrived in one of the many labs that dotted the ship to see David, stripped of his suit, lying down inside what looked like an advanced MRI scanner, with his father working steadily at a nearby console, and the others clustered nearby.

Fury turned to see them enter and said "Well, now that you're here, what'd you wanna know?" Dick nodded over to David's prone form, his eyes glancing over the young man's body.

"Him." he stated "Explain how he did that, back in the hanger." The room suddenly became very quiet, the hum of machinery the only noise audible.

Fury blinked and, motioning to Tony, said "Show them Tony. They have a right to know." The Avengers snapped their gaze to the director, their eyes both questioning and unbelieving.

"You sure?" Banner asked, his hands flickering over a holographic screen "You know what happened to the last people we showed that to." They visibly shuddered at the mention of some unmentionable horror, even the Director shivered.

"Well, we either show them the detailed report, or they make their own assumptions and make mistakes, which could cause serious to David or to themselves."

The Titan's jaws dropped. Was David so dangerous that he could seriously harm them all, without even trying? Tony sighed and, whilst walking towards the bench in the centre of the room, conjured a holographic screen with an image of David's ribcage on it; showing his ribs, lungs, heart, and a strange sphere hanging next to his heart, seemingly moulding itself around it and his sternum.

Whilst Raven's face remained blank, inside her emoticlones were gawking, most of their jaws slack in amazement. The sentiment was shared by the other Titans, who only stared at it in awe, Changeling and Terra's jaw hitting the deck and their eyes almost falling out of their sockets.

"Is that…" Cyborg began, still not believing his eyes, "a fusion reactor,_ inside_ his chest?!" Starfire gasped, Dick and Bruce paled, whilst the others' only reaction was the further widening of their already saucer-like eyes.

Tony nodded, his face forlorn, a notion the Pepper mimicked whilst the other Avengers glanced at David sadly.

"He was born with severe CHD" he began, his eyes drifting from one face to another, the sadness clear in his eyes "it caused his heart to drastically grow and shrink with every beat." His eyes fell on his son, still in the scanner, as Banner and his mother worked to keep the display up whilst extracting him from the machine. "It would've killed him in under a month" he continued, his voice soft and quiet, and tears began to fill his eyes.

Thor took up the conversation upon seeing his friend's condition. "I suggested we visit Asgard, on a good-will trip to secure relations" he said, his deep voice strong and regal, just like Loki's. He sat next to David and continued "Due to David being a few weeks old at the time, we brought him with us to Asgard. My mother, being the kind soul she is, took pity on him."

His eyes took on a far-off look, as if he was staring back in time to the exact moment of the tale. "She ordered Eir to find a way to keep his heart stable, but this was new to us and she could think of nothing to help him." He chuckled, shaking his head at something only he could see.

"Ironically, it was Loki who came up with a solution. We were passing the dungeons when he starting shouting something about a solution and magical devices."

He chuckled again, this time it was dark and bitter.

"Naturally, due to our past interactions with him, we were wary of letting him near David to begin with, yet alone operate on him. But he was insistent that he knew a way, and he can be _very_ persuasive when he wants to be. He's not called the Trickster God for nothing." He stopped for a moment, and silence reigned over the room.

Natasha picked it up, her voice clear and light, with no trace of her Russian accent.

"We managed to get Heimdall to verify his story, and then got him to perform the operation under guard." Her eyes hardened as she continued, her fingers digging into the hardened leather of her jumpsuit.

"Odin insisted on being present during the procedure, to make sure nothing went wrong. But as soon as he entered the room, Loki started panicking, saying something about us having planned it as a trap to get him executed, and tried to run for the door. It took four guards to calm him down, and by this point David was scared out of his mind, and you know what three week olds are like when they're scared." All the Leaguers nodded, some of the Titans winced at the sentence, whilst Pepper stood next to David, her eyes shining.

"Anyway, after he'd calmed down, he approached David to start the process. And the weird thing was, that when Loki got near him, David just calmed down, just like that" she said, snapping her fingers for emphasis.

"So" Thor said, picking up the threads with a nod to Natalia "he decided he would magically implant this thing" gesturing to the screen "inside his chest to keep his heart stable, whilst at the same time strengthening the parts of his body that were weakened during his development. He also bound it to his nervous system, so it pulses in time with his heartbeat, and gave his ribs the ability to project a magnetic field to keep it in place."

Banner looked up from his console, adjusting his glasses as he dragged some data over to the larger monitor. "We surgically added the turbine to keep the temperature even. The downside is that if his heartbeat gets too high, or his body's put through too much stress, it starts to heat up and build pressure. Eventually the turbine can't cope, so the excess gas is vented through it, hence the little display in the hanger." He gave Dick and Bruce a pointed glare, his eyes sending a very clear message.

Before anyone could offer a retort, the alarm blared again, louder and sharper than last time, followed by the message"Alert! All hands to battle stations, hostiles approaching from the south-east. Repeat, all hands to battle stations!"

Both groups looked at each other in surprise, then glanced at Fury, waiting for his reaction.

He bowed his head slightly, thinking rapidly, then raised his head and said "Alright people, suit up" he spared a quick glance at David as his stood, his eyes flinty, before adding "all of you." The assembled Avengers nodded before dashing out of the room to arm up. T

he director glanced at the others and said "We have no idea what we're up against here, we could use your help. Mind lending a hand?" Superman nodded without hesitation and turned from the room, motioning for the others to do the same.

The Titans followed them out, all of them preparing for whatever they met outside. Little did they know that they were marching towards the start of the most dangerous time of their lives, and towards their possible demise.

* * *

**And there you go! I know, it's cruel leaving in on a cliffy, but I couldn't resist! In case anyone's wondering why having that kind of heart problem can kill you, let's just say the amount of stress that would put of the heart would cause serious damage, and could casue a heart attack. So, the big question is...who's attacking them? Is it Slade, Loki, Luthor, Joker? Tune in next time to find out! Until then read, review, and enjoy! Chaio!**


	5. Chapter 5- The Hammer Lands

**Well, here's Chapter five. Sorry for the late update, mother dragged me off to a friend's house for the weekend. Anway, here's my shoutouts and review resposnes:**

**VINGAMER54- yes, the Avengers are based off the movie, and yes there will be Spiderman and Deadpool later one.**

**Justus80- Read on to find out.**

**Anyway, here we see Loki's revenge on our young heroes, and we get an unexpected arrival, who could it be...?**

* * *

When the Titans filed into the hanger bay, they saw the others all suited up and ready: the Iron Men had their helmets on, the Captain with his mask/hood up and shield over his left forearm, Hawkeye with bow in hand and his quiver on his back, Black Widow with her twin pistols resting in their holsters on her hips, Banner still clad in his civvies but without his glasses; clenching and unclenching his fists, his eyes seeming to flash between his natural brown and a deep green, and Thor still clad in his armour, twirling Mjolnir idly around his index finger.

David looked up from where he stood, leaning against a bulkhead, and spotted the Titans approaching, got up and walked towards them. Raven was the first to spot him approaching, and couldn't help but stare.

He looked so much more intimidating in full armour, the blank face mask of his helmet making him lose the human element of himself, making him look more like a battle drone than a person in a metal suit.

"Greetings Titans" he boomed, the speaker in his suit projecting his voice to their ears with minimal effort on his part, despite flattening it in the process. The Titans nodded in greeting, all of them running their eyes across his suit, as though assessing its lethality.

"Nice suit Dave" Cyborg said, running his eyes critically over the metal surface "How much nastiness ya packin' in there?"

David smirked under his helmet, then straightened to his full height, so his eyes came up to Cy's nose.

The twin miniguns lowered so they rested just above his shoulder pads, their barrels whining as they spooled up to speed as they turned to point at the Titans.

The pads at his wrists tilted upward, and two SA80 assault rifle barrels emerged from each wrist. He raised his right wrist so they could all see the guns.

"One of the good things about the British" he said, amusement clear in his voice, "they know how to build a good assault rifle." That earned a chuckle from Dick, who up until that point had remained silent as a ghost.

He retracted the rifles, folding the flap back down, before straightened his arms in front of him. Panels on his forearms retracted, whilst the pads on his shoulders, hips and knees rose alongside the devices they covered, revealed a multitude of missile and flare launchers. Everyone ogled at the sheer array of weaponry the suit seemed to hold.

"How the _hell_ can that thing hold all of those?" Terra asked, her eyebrows buried in her hairline. David chuckled at her reaction; at all their reactions really, Cyborg was drooling at the array of tech, Changeling's jaw had landed on the ocean floor by this point, and David was surprised that the entire bone hadn't been sheared off. Starfire's eyes were narrowed slightly, her warrior nature coming into play as she examined David's armoured form in extreme detail.

He continued with his demonstration, closing all the open missile ports before revealing two more flaps at the end of the pads on his forearms.

He clenched his fists and a one-and-a-half foot long, curved blade shot out of the gap in each arm. They were extremely similar to katana blades, having the same shape and curve, the only difference being the material of the blade.

"Adamantium" he explained, noticing the Titans' confused looks, "exactly the same stuff that Wolverine's skeleton's composed of." He couldn't help but laugh at Cyborg's, Changeling's and Terra's expressions, their jaws once again slack and their eyes going so wide physics should've caused them to burst. Dick scanned his eyes over the blades, allowing himself a professional's appreciation for the man's lethality, and the sheer amount of weaponry and gadgets the suit held rivalled the Bat's.

Star looked on, allowing her warrior instincts free reign as she examined the man before her, her eyes running along his form with interest, eying every inch of the suit for the hidden weapon ports.

It was Raven's reaction that really drew David's attention. Instead of looking at the suit as the others did, she was looking directly at _him_. Her amethyst eyes seemed to go right through the suit and only see the man behind it.

He slowly turned his head to look directly at her, retracting the blades as he did so, the loud _snick _that followed filling the small space around them. As the near-crimson lenses on his helmet met her gaze, Raven's heart skipped a beat.

_How does he do that?_ she wondered, still amazed at his ability to get through the fortress she had spent so long building around herself.

This didn't go unnoticed by the girls, who quickly glanced between the two before giggling uncontrollably. The guys stared at the giggling girls, each having the same thought appearing in their minds: _The ! #$%^&*?_

They glanced up at a now-blushing Raven and David who, despite the mask, they could tell was as red as she was. David coughed loudly, stopping the laughing girls in their tracks.

"If you're _quite_ finished" he growled in annoyance, his voice seeming to shake the very air around them, "I believe I still have more tech to show you."

The Titans gaped at him.

"_More?!" _Dick cried, "How the hell can there be _more_ in there? Come one, the missile launchers alone must take up most of the space!"

There was a hiss of escaping air as the face plate in the helmet rose, revealing David's noble face, sporting a questioning expression topped off with a raised eyebrow.

"You do know who you're talking to, right?" he asked, his eyes clearly showing his scepticism.

Dick merely rolled his eyes and said "Fine, continue. Better yet, _surprise me!_"

David smirked as the face plate clanked into place, the lenses lighting up as the systems reinitialised.

There was another, much louder hiss from his chestplate, and the Titans stared intently at it, waiting to see what technological marvel lay beneath. Then, with the whine of servos, slits began to appear in the metal. Only they weren't truly slits. As the Titans watched, mesmerized, the individual sections on the armour slowly turned so their thinnest sides were facing towards them, making them nearly invisible. They gasped as even more missile launch tubes were revealed; only these ones were much larger than the others, about half an inch in diameter.

It wasn't their size that surprised them; it was the sheer _number_ of them. They were dotted all over his chest, starting at the top of his ribcage, going past and surrounding the turbine, covering every inch of space, before ending just above his waistline. Everyone openly gaped; even Dick couldn't help but stare, boggled at the metallic pincushion that made up his chestplate.

"Aw man" Cyborg moaned "now that just looks like steel Swiss cheese!" David grinned behind his helmet, his smugness rolling off him in waves, causing Raven to chuckle quietly before looking him in the eye and shaking her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen" he said in an extremely over-exaggerated British accent "I present to you the one and only Steel Rain Launcher!" At his words, a loud _clunk _echoed throughout the hanger and all the tubes were suddenly and simultaneously filled with small missiles, each one fitting the tube it occupied perfectly, their warheads extruding from them by only an inch. He turned to gaze at Dick, his mouth curving into a small smirk.

"Surprised yet?" he asked, his smug expression, though not visible behind his mask, was clearly evident in his voice. The Titans, Raven included, could only nod dumbly, too amazed to speak.

* * *

"Well" he said, sealing his chestplate back into place "now that's that over, you best get ready." The others nodded and started walking off, aside from Cyborg whose neck joint was sparking madly.

David sighed and, extending the two-pronged taser mounted in the middle two knuckles in his right gauntlet, he jabbed his fist directly into the machine-man's abdomen, causing lightning to arc across his body.

"Waaa!" he cried as his circuits were practically kick-started, his body jerking as the electricity overrode his brains commands, his head beginning to rotate like a radar dish.

David's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the hanger, causing heads to turn in their direction and the Titans to pause in their tracks.

Their heads turned around to see David; with his fist raised and taser crackling, with his faceplate raised and a smug, ! #$%^&*-eating grin on his face, standing next to a now-wobbling Cyborg, his hands slowly winding his head back into place.

The sight was so unexpected, so random, that the Titans collapsed in a heap of hysterical Raven, who was known for her emotionless exterior, clutched her sides as she laughed.

David sighed and closed his eyes as Raven's laugh caressed his ears, it sounded like water falling over rocks in a river bed. He loved that sound. A soft whining forced him out of his daydreaming, a he looked up just in time to see the elevator rise from the depths of the ship, and the other Avengers look at him with a mixed look of mock despair, amusement and downright exasperation.

Then the three Leaguers walked in.

Clark took one look at the sight before him and immediately began laughing, nearly falling to his knees with mirth.

Bruce just looked on with mild disdain, even though a hint of a smile could be seen curling at the corners of his mouth.

Diana looked on with confusion, not understanding what was so amusing, until she saw David grinning like an idiot with his taser still in the air, then she started giggling like a schoolgirl.

Tony poked his head up from where he stood behind Rhodes and cheered, only to receive a slap on the back of the head from Pepper.

Steve just sighed and shook his head, despite the small smile on his face.

Banner had a wide smile on his face, his eyes sparkling with inner merriment.

Clint looked up and chuckled, his hands still fine-tuning his bow.

Natasha leant on Clint with one of her hands wrapped around his arm, a small smile on her face whilst she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

Rhodes stood impassively, his expression unknown behind his mask, even though David swore he saw the man's eyes shine slightly behind the lenses.

Thor was laughing his head off by this point, collapsing on his back and Mjolnir flying out of his grasp, rising into the air before crashing down onto his chest, winding him.

That, coupled with Fury walking in on them at that exact moment, caused everyone else (aside from Bats, obviously) to collapse in gales of laughter.

* * *

Thor groaned as he hauled himself up, glancing at Fury who merely raised his remaining eyebrow in question.

David also hauled himself to his feet, slowly calming down as his turbine slowed from its earlier murderous pace, only to snort as he saw Steve and Diana lying next to each other with barely an inch of space between them, gazes locked, matching expressions on their faces, whilst a strong blush turned them a matching beetroot red.

Fury cleared his throat loudly, causing everyone to struggle upright and stand to attention. Fury glanced over them all, arrayed in the separate groups and all armed to the teeth, be it with weapons or supernatural powers.

"Alright, you know the situation" he said, his voice stern and commanding "We don't know what we're against, their numbers or their capabilities." He swept his gaze along the line of heroes, his eye landing on every single one.

"All we need to do is-" before he could finish the sentence, the entire carrier was rocked by a giant explosion, causing alarms to blare across the ship. Although the most pressing concern, at least in David's opinion, was the gaping hole it had blown in the side of the hanger depressurizing the entire deck.

Emergency bulkheads slammed into place, restraints clamped around plane axles, and crew grabbed desperately at security webbing.

The problem for him was quite simple.

He had been standing next to the wall that had blown up, and was now dropping like a rock towards the ocean.

Damn the laws of physics and their depressurization section.

He sighed before activating the jets in his heels and in the centre of his back, along either side of his spine. He shot upwards in a cloud of superheated gas towards the carrier, his eyes scanning the area for whatever had rent a hole in his home.

Then he saw them, and his blood froze in his veins.

There, suspended above and around the carrier, were thousands of Slade-bots; each armed with ray guns. But it wasn't that which worried him.

Surrounding them were the remnants of an enemy the Avengers had long thought dead, an enemy his father had nearly sacrificed himself to defeat. There, before his horrified eyes, stood the remains of the once-mighty chitari force that had invaded Earth nearly twenty five years ago, their great Leviathans circling the ship like sharks circled their prey.

And, suspended in the middle of the horde on a plate of shimmering magic, stood the Trickster God himself. He was flanked by Slade, his bo staff already in his hand, and the Magneto, the old man from before, his hands raised before him, supporting the Slade-bots that hung from the sky.

He sped upwards, the jets roaring like vengeful beasts, weapon systems powering up at his mental command. He spun so he came up on the other side of the carrier; miniguns whirring as they spooled up to speed, the pads on his shoulders retracting and the missile launchers there rising to launch position, the repulsors in the palm of his gauntlets began to whine as they charged and the flaps on his wrists rose to reveal the twin SA80 barrels beneath. He rose steadily towards the runway, weapons primed and ready, targeting system already locking on.

He dropped onto the tarmac of the runway just as the others piled out of the hanger, weapons of all kinds loaded and primed; even Fury was outside with his rocket launcher propped on his shoulder.

"Loki!" Thor boomed, his crystal blue eyes locking gazes with emerald green ones above him "You don't have to do this! We can find another way! We can help you!"

Loud cackling filled the air as Loki laughed, a mad laugh filled with scorn and hysteria.

"Help me?!" he yelled "You actually believe _you_ can help _me_?" He laughed again; this time is was dark and bitter. "Too little, too late, brother dear" he sneered, before waving his arm downwards.

The chitari descended in their dozens, howling their war cries and brandishing their strange weapons. Without a single word the Avengers leapt into action, the Iron Men shooting into the air, Captain America and Black Widow sprinting to intercept those that made it to the ground, whilst Thor and Hawkeye stayed back to clobber them from afar.

David spun in the air, yelling "Brrrrrring the raaaaaain!" as his guns and launching blazed and spat death in all directions, shattering the armour of the alien warriors before they landed a single blow.

The sound of combat snapped the others out of their reverie, and they sprang into action, the flyers rocketing into the sky whilst the ground fighters sprinted towards the multiple contacts now on the ground.

Starfire hurled starbolts at the descending soldiers, each one scorching through the armour and incinerating the flesh beneath in seconds.

Terra used two giant boulders like boxing gloves, smashing chitari left and right like flies, crushing their vital organs to a thin paste inside their bodies.

Nightwing batted the soldiers in their faces with his escrema sticks, activating the tasers built into their head to zap their brains to mush.

Cyborg shot the chitari out of the air with his cannon, moving from one target to another with mechanical precision, muttering "Booyah" after every hit.

Changeling transformed into a brontosaurus and used his tail to sweep entire groups of soldiers off the edge of the runway, sending them hurtling to their deaths.

Raven used the most gruesome technique of them all. She fashioned her powers into a giant black raven whilst surrounding herself with it, and hacked at the monstrous leviathans and soldiers alike. She funnelled her rage and confusion into her attacks, causing some of her targets to explode as her powers ran rampant around her.

The Leaguers did what they did best, leaping into the fray and pummelling their opponents into the ground/runway. Loki just watched impassively, his eyes scanning across the scene. Slade had snapped it seemed, for he leapt down from the platform to engage Dick in single combat, swinging his bo staff with the surety of a master, forcing Dick back whilst continuing his barrage, as his Slade-bots launched volley after volley from their ray guns.

Finally Loki's emerald orbs locked on David, and his face split into a cruel grin whilst he raised his staff, which glowed ominously. Everyone seemed to sense what was coming, and turned in slow motion to witness David staring Loki down over his staff, both of them engaged in the ultimate battle of wills.

Due to the intensity of their match, no one noticed the breach starting to glow again, or the loud, low growl of jet engines rapidly approaching.

It was only the extremely loud cry of "ERIK!" that shattered their reverie, and everyone glanced up to see two sleek planes shoot out of the breach. They both looked suspiciously similar to a SR-71 Blackbird, aside from an extra set of stabiliser wings jutting from the engine cowlings. Magneto shot his gaze to the planes, and grimaced in annoyance.

"Really Charles?" he boomed, his voice dripping with sarcasm "Following me all the way here, just to shout my name? I'm flattered." There was a hiss from the underside of each plane, and two ramps lowered just after they slammed onto the runway, skidding to a halt near the back of the carrier, revealing two identical compartments.

Inside one of them was a man in a very advanced wheelchair, his bald head gleaming with sweat as he glared across the gulf at his best friend. He wheeled himself smoothly onto the concrete to stand next to Fury, before looking behind him with a look of concentration on his face. From both planes, the sound of running feet could be heard, and from the bowels of both vessels, an entire team emerged.

Changeling's and Cyborg's jaws hit the floor as the legendary X-Men revealed themselves, each one fanning out as they flanked the man that could only be Professor Charles Xavier.

Loki seemed to ignore the events unfolding below him and focussed his attention back on David, his sneer returning as the staff began to glow again.

David looked up in horror just in time to see two sapphire bolts slam into his chestplate, sending him hurtling down towards the carrier.

"David!" a feminine voice screamed, but the resulting g-forces on his body from the blast began forcing him into unconsciousness, so he couldn't recognise it. His last sensation before blacking out completely was the feeling of slamming into the concrete runway on the carrier, the pain softened as someone cushioned his fall.

The last thing he heard was Loki saying "You shouldn't have come" followed by a colossal boom before the darkness took him, and he saw no more.

* * *

**Duh Dun DUHH! Yup, the X-men are HERE! God, this took me ages to write and tweek to perfection, but here it is! Anyway, next time we find out how the hell old Xavier actually got here in the first place, and we discover a rather interesting fact about David's past. Until then read, review and enjoy. Chaio!**


	6. Chapter 6- Of Demons and Degradation

**Ok guys, sorry for the late update, had horrible writer's block recently and that impeded my writing abilites. I've noticed a severe drop in both views and reviews. What, is this story not good enough anymore? Or are you so impatient that you can't stand a little dramatic build-up? Anyway, here's Chapter 6. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Raven looked on in horror as David plummeted towards the carrier, his thrusters dying as he fell, his turbine slowing down as his heart rate dropped.

She looked down to see a middle-aged woman with flaming red hair dash forward, her hazel eyes widening in terror as she cried "David!"

Everyone's attention was focussed to the poor boy's falling form, eyes wide as he dropped like a rock towards them. Raven began to descend, hoping to catch him before he smashed into the asphalt below.

She sped up, feeling the air rush past her as she shot like a bullet towards the metal-clad hero as he fell from the sky.

To her horrified surprise, he fell past her just before she could reach him, now at terminal velocity and rapidly approaching a potentially lethal landing.

There was a loud growl from within the X-Men, followed by a muffled curse and, to everyone amazement James Howlett, more commonly known as Logan or the Wolverine, leapt forward, barrelling across the runway to where David would land.

"Logan!" Charles bellowed, but couldn't stop him as he was halfway down the runway by now. Logan glanced up just in time to see David less than ten feet from smashing his skull on the tarmac.

He roared as he sped up, his feet pounding into the runway as the wind of his passing swept his hair up and forced the hairs in his beard against his face.

He skidded to a halt just before David hit the ground, right on his landing point, causing David to land on top of the Wolverine, forcing him to sprawl unceremoniously on the floor on his back with a loud grunt. Raven let out the breath she hadn't even known she was holding, relieved that David wasn't a bloody smear on the floor.

Her relief turned to rage, and her head snapped round to glare at Loki, all four eyes glowing the colour of old blood as she gladly surrendered control of her emotions, allowing her demonic side to take over.

The others looked on in terrified awe as Raven seemed to grow until she towered over even the great leviathans, black tendrils swirling around her as they snaked out from underneath her cloak. Loki glanced at her, and his eyes narrowed with frustration.

* * *

"You shouldn't have come" he growled, eying Raven as if she was a dangerous animal about to attack him.

Raven's only reply was an incredibly disturbing grin, both rows of fangs glinting in the sunlight. There was a sudden, colossal boom and the platform underneath Loki's feet imploded, sending the God tumbling for a few seconds until he levitated back up to Raven's eye level, an angry scowl on his face.

Raven didn't even blink as she wrapped her tendrils around the Trickster, slowly squeezing the life out of him whilst dragging him towards her billowing cloak, demonic laughter echoing around them.

The others could only stand there, frozen where they stood, as Raven dragged the now-struggling Loki closer to her shadowy form, the villain scrabbling at his throat as the tendrils tightened, cutting off his air supply.

"Raven!" Dick bellowed, eyes wide beneath the mask, desperately trying to calm her down before she destroyed the carrier. Raven ignored him, instead growling at the grovelling Asgardian, his face turning an interesting shade of purple as his lungs burned for air. Unbeknownst to all of them,

David began to stir from his place on Logan, cracking his eyes open to see two beams of light entering his mask; the suit's systems were down.

He groaned and fumbled at the clasps at the edges of his helmet, his fingers feeling thick and his arms unnaturally heavy. With a hiss of escaping air the helmet came loose and he wrenched it off his head, blinking in the sudden brightness.

He heaved himself off Logan's prone form and looked around, noticing everyone staring at something at the bow of the carrier.

He followed their gaze, and gasped at the sight of a demonic Raven strangling Loki, using nothing but the power of her mind.

"Raven!" Dick yelled again, sprinting towards her in the vain hope of calming her down "Stop this!" Once again, he was ignored, and they all heard what she said next _very_ clearly.

"**You shall pay for harming him,**" she growled, her voice seemingly composed of two voices, each one sounding like the growls of some unholy beast, the second one slightly higher than and echoing after the first "**my friends,** **and all the others you've tormented with your filth.**"

No one moved as Loki was raised up so as to be face-to-face with the enraged demon, her face set in a savage snarl, her four eyes narrowed to mere slits.

David shakily rose to his feet and tried to walk forward. His hand flew to his head as a huge wave of nausea flooded his system.

He fell to the floor with a horribly loud clang, snapping people of their trances and causing them to glance at him Raven turned away from her quarry to look at him, turning all her blood-red eyes on him.

To her surprise, he didn't even flinch as he stared up into her rage-filled gaze, tilting his head to one side as he observed her.

Unintentionally, her mind brushed against his and she nearly choked on air as she heard him thinkone word, one really surprising word.

_Beautiful,_ he thought as he gazed up at her, taking in her form in one long, sweeping glance, his face one of mystified awe. Then he blushed madly whilst thinking: _Oh crap! Please tell me she didn't hear that!_

Raven snorted in her head, then forced her rage down, returning to her normal self, releasing Loki in the process. The others stared on, confusion rife among them, Magneto lowering himself onto the carrier silently.

* * *

A huge cry of "Incoming!" shattered the silence, and everyone glanced up to see a man in a skin-tight red and black spandex uniform slammed into the asphalt runway, landing on one knee with a katana in each hand, and twin pistols strapped to his belt. The X-Men groaned and synchronized a perfect group facepalm.

The Avengers could only gape as the man before them rose, spinning the swords around in his hands. His full-face mask had two black diamonds around his eyes, and his eyes seemed to glow with inner merriment.

"And now" he said, as if pronouncing a court sentence "I, Deadpool, challenge you to single combat!" pointing one of his swords at Magneto. The Titans just stared at him strangely, tilting their heads to one side as if to observe him from another angle.

Magneto sighed, resting his head on one hand, before thrusting the other one forward, sending a wave of energy towards Deadpool. The merc was sent sprawling across the tarmac, flat on his back, his swords ringing as they fell from his hands.

He groaned as he struggled to his feet, drawing a pair of futuristic laser guns from their holsters as he rose. He stared the mutant in the eye, as if testing him for something. Then, quite suddenly, his arms snapped up and he fired both guns in one fluid motion. Two blue laser beams shot from the muzzles of the strange firearms and slammed into Magneto's helmet, sending the magnetic manipulator to the floor, unconscious.

He slung his guns over his shoulders, picked up his swords and advanced on Loki, who at this point was on all fours gasping, trying to stop the shadows dancing at the edges of his vision.

"This is for David" he growled, his eyes narrowing behind his mask before driving both his swords through Loki's biceps, then drawing his pistols and shooting the poor Asgardian in the hands. It happened so quickly that Loki used the same howl of pain to recognise both injuries.

Deadpool spun the pistols around his fingers before holstering them, then spun his swords in a figure-of-eight around himself before placing them in the crossed sheaths on his back.

He turned back to the others; all of them wearing matching expression of surprise and shock, and said "What? Is my dick hanging out or something?"

And, like a switch had been thrown David; some of the X-Men, and all of the Titans collapsed with gales of laughter, clutching their sides as tears rolled down their faces.

The Avengers smiled tolerantly, their eyes glancing from Deadpool to the pile of laughing youngsters. The X-Men merely groaned, Logan slamming his hand on his forehead. The three Leaguers merely glanced on, confused to the extreme, eying this new arrival with suspicion.

Finally, after the laughter had subsided, The Avengers grabbed Loki roughly by his shoulders and hauled him away, taking him deep into the ship. Logan hauled Magneto over his shoulder and took him into one of the Blackbirds, probably to lock him away in a secure cell on-board.

Whilst all this was happening, David was helped to his feet by Deadpool before the Merc with the Mouth wandered off somewhere; probably to annoy Logan.

David strolled over to the Titans, who were all huddled around Raven, talking animatedly about something. Terra glanced up when she heard him approach, and quickly shushed the others as they also noticed the steel-encased man approached with his helmet under one arm.

"Sup Star-Boy" Cy said, giving David a fist-bump "Nice tricks back there." David only grinned at the praise, his face colouring slightly.

Changeling joined in "Yeah man, nice little stunt with the missile launchers. I swear I saw your face in the CPUs of some of those missiles!" Terra burst out laughing at the outrageous mental image that caused, Starfire starting giggling, and Dick and Cyborg grinned. Even Raven cracked a small smile, her amethyst eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, I know" David sighed dramatically "I'm a badass. It's a curse in disguise I swear." That earned a chuckle from the group, and Cyborg clapping him on the shoulder. The laughter died when the others saw Fury and the three Leaguers approaching over David's shoulder. David noticed the look in their eyes and sighed dejectedly, before spinning on his heels and snapping a perfect military salute. "Director" he said crisply, spine straight as a steel pole, his voice completely bland.

Fury returned his salute whilst replying with "At ease Lieutenant" causing the Titans to stare at David in surprise. David lowered his arm and stood at ease, his hands clasped behind his back with his helmet resting on his right boot.

"What's the situation sir?" he inquired, his voice neutral whilst his eyes were practically glowing, alive with the joy of the hunt. Fury shook his head, his gaze on the floor.

"Not good" he said, his voice still as clinical as before "We have five enemies out there, and we have no idea where." He looked up, sweeping his gaze across the Titans before he continued.

"I spoke to Batman, and he's agreed to allow the Avengers full access to the Watchtower." Gasps rippled through the group, Dick's eyes looked like they would fall through his mask. "Also, he's asked me that one of them act as a liaison between us, the League, and you." Here his gaze fell purely on David, his expression unreadable. "I suggested you, David" he said softly, his eyes boring into the young man's skull.

David's face paled rapidly, his eyes widening to the size of serving platters and his breathing becoming erratic. The turbine in his chest started spluttering, the gentle hum becoming more of a coughing whir as the blades stalled and started again. The others looked on, startled and worried as David starting having some form of heart-attack.

"I know it's a surprise" Fury continued, apparently oblivious to David's worsening condition, "but there is an upside. You'll be- David?" Only then did the Director notice David's practically catatonic state. The Avengers turned at his surprised tone, staring at the poor boy as his chest heaved. The X-Men noticed as well, both groups approaching him cautiously, as if he were some savage beast.

"You're allowing me to liaise…with the Titans _and_ Justice League?" David whispered, his voice almost inaudible. Fury nodded slowly, concerned that any more spoken words would worsen his state.

Then, to everyone's amazement, the turbine spun up to a deafening roar as David's face split into a wide grin. He threw his head back and, with a very loud, very long cry of "YEEEES!" the turbine erupted into flame, the jet shooting thirty feet into the sky.

The others stumbled back, each throwing up an arm to shield themselves from the heat.

David stood there, laughing hysterically as the fire shot up from his chest into the air, his eyes shining brightly amidst the raging inferno.

The Avengers and senior X-Men looked on, the girls smiling softly whilst the guys all had giant grins on their faces. The younger X-Men cheered and as the inferno died they surrounded their friend, slapping him on the back and giving him friendly punches on the arm, with the occasional hug from the girls.

Cyborg couldn't resist a loud "Booyah!" punctuated with a fist pump. Starfire squealed so loud that David was sure that the people of central Berlin heard it. Terra and Changeling wore matching grins, their eyes sparkling with joy. Dick merely smiled and extended a hand. David glanced down, still smiling, before grasping the offered hand and shook it firmly.

* * *

"Welcome to the Titans" he said, his smile was infectious. David bowed his head in thanks before turning to greet Logan and the senior X-Men as they approached.

The redhead they had seen earlier swept him up into a hug, earning chuckles from the others and a glare from Pepper.

"Oh God David!" she cried into his shoulder "Don't you ever, _ever_, scare me like that again!" Pepper's glare relented, and she wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders in a comforting gesture. Logan merely chuckled as David squirmed in her grip, desperately trying to regain the air that had been forced from his lungs.

"I'm fine Jean" he gasped, before raising a finger and continuing "Well, I would be if _I'd be allowed to breathe!_" Jean Grey gasped, her eyes widening in realization as she released him whilst the Titans laughed at his antics.

David fell on his ass with a clang; chest heaving as he took great gulps of the oxygen he had once taken for granted. Logan chuckled as he heaved David to his feet, as a man with a strange visor over his eyes approached.

"Scott" David greeted, his voice curt and stiff, although everyone could tell it was fake, his eyes gave that away.

"David" Scott replied, his tone almost teasing, yet still serious. The two men stared at each other for ages, their faces blank and their gazes conflicting. Then, quite suddenly, their faces split into matching grins and they launched themselves at each other, catching each other in a crushing hug, pounding their fists into each other's back as they laughed. The Titans looked on, confused whilst the Avengers smiled and some of the X-Men laughed.

"So" Scott said, releasing David from the hug "I hear your now the new inter-dimensional liaison." His tone shifted, becoming softer and more sinister. "You plannin' anything?" he asked, his eyes twinkling behind his visor. David smirked at him; leaning forward so only Scott could hear.

"Of course I am" he whispered "it's me, remember? Always have at least five back-ups." Scott snorted, before clapping him on the shoulder and saying "If you need help, you know how to find us." He strolled off, towards a curtained blonde-haired beauty that leant against one of the front wheels of the Blackbird, who suddenly stood up as he approached and pecked him on the cheek.

David grinned as he asked "So, Scott and Emma huh?" Logan nodded whilst Jean blushed; she could tell what was coming next.

"So that means…" he trailed off, glancing pointedly at the couple before him, with an evil smirk on his face. Logan starting laughed as Jean's blush deepened, making her face turn the same colour as her hair.

He turned to Fury, his face deadpanning as he said "With your permission sir, I would like to request immediate transfer to Titan Tower." The X-Men gasped, their eyes widening slightly at the audacity of his request.

The Avengers merely shook their heads, some of them smiled slightly. Fury looked surprised, before glancing at Nightwing for confirmation. Dick merely shrugged and mouthed "Why not?"

Fury nodded slightly, a barely noticeable movement, before saying "Permission granted." David saluted him, his face betraying nothing even as his turbine sped up slightly. Fury returned the salute, and David picked up his helmet as he turned towards the Titans, a grin on his face.

"See you there" he said as he put the helmet on, and he began walking towards the edge of the bow as it tightened around his head. He stopped at the edge, looking over to judge the distance.

He turned on his heel, so they were just of the edge. Everyone, from the Avengers to the X-Men, slowly approached, watching carefully for his next move.

David looked at Logan, then Scott, then Jean and Emma, then the Professor, the entire Avengers and Fury, then the remaining X-Men along with Deadpool.

He smiled beneath his faceplate before giving them a two-fingered salute and swan-diving off the edge of the carrier. Everyone gasped with horror as they watched him drop; sure he would fall to his death.

Then the roar of thrusters filled the air, and they all peeked over the lip of the runway to see David speeding towards the Tower with all jets burning like small suns.

Dick sighed and shook his head ruefully; Cyborg grinned at the man's ingenuity, Starfire looked on with wide eyes and a slack jaw, Changeling and Terra laughed as they watched him fly, whilst Raven closed her eyes and began to chant her mantra, a small smirk on her lips. Dick glanced at her, and noticed the smirk.

"And why are you smirking, _Rachel_?" he asked, stressing the use of her real name, trying to act the scolding parent. Raven scoffed before saying "You better let me concentrate so I can get us back to the Tower before he does." Cyborg raised his only eyebrow.

"And why is that?" he asked, folding his arms across his broad chest, his head cocked to one side.

"Because if we don't" she said, seating herself in the lotus position "you'll have to repair a rather large hole going through at least four levels." Everyone stopped and stared at her, only Tony and Pepper smiled; he was their son after all.

"Well what we waiting for?" Cyborg asked, stepping to stand beside Raven, followed by the rest of the Titans "Go go go!"

Raven's smirk widened, before vanishing completely as she enveloped them in a bubble of dark energy, which then phased through the concrete of the runway and into the Void that Lies Between.

* * *

They appeared on the roof of the Tower just in time to see David cut the power to his jets, landing with a light clunk on the asphalt rooftop. He glanced at them right after he landed, faceplate retracting with a slight hiss to reveal his disgruntled features, brows furrowed in confusion.

"How'd you get here so fast?" he demanded, his eyes boring into each one of the Titans individually.

Raven smirked again whilst saying"Being half-demon, and trained in the magical arts has its perks." David stared at her, wide-eyed and mouth open, his surprise evident. Dick chuckled whilst ushering all of them inside, opening the hatch with a loud click.

They all hustled into the elevator, cramming themselves in until they resembled sardines in a can more than superheroes. They all raced out when the elevator when it arrived at the Ops. Room, chasing each other into the wide room like Trigon himself was behind them. They flung themselves onto the couch, then laying there like boned fish, glad to be home.

_Home,_ David though, his sleep-idled mind still processing the events of the day_ I like that idea_.

The last thing his conscious mind registered was Nightwing discussing something to his teammates, probably to do with him, but he surrendered to sleep before he could hear the rest, and he gladly allowed his heavy eyelid to drift shut, his mind sending him into a deep,dreamless slumber.

* * *

**Yay! Deadpool's finally here! Anywhose, this took me an age to write, so any and all reviews are welcome. Next time we get to see David's introduction to the rest of the Titans, we finally say goodbye to the cold weather, and we discover why Loki wanted to jump dimensions so suddenly. Until then read, review and enjoy. Chaio!**


	7. Chapter 7- The Preparations

**A thousand apologies for the late update! Got mild writer's block that stopped this chapter in it's tracks. Anyway, its here now! And this time we hear about Dick's plan to introduce David to the others, find out a bit too much about David's subconscious, and see a little interaction between him and the others.**

* * *

Raven glanced at the now-sleeping David, his calm face set in repose as he slept. She had decided to remove his helmet so he didn't somehow strangle himself as he slept.

_Well_ she thought as she fumbled at the clasps _stranger things have happened here._

When she removed the troublesome headpiece she studied his face, her eyes taking in the sharp features, the strong jaw, the calm set of his eyes, the hair that hung over his eyes that made her fingers itch to push it back, and felt her heart flutter.

She felt heat infuse her cheeks as she swept her gaze along his body, still clad in his suit, the turbine in his chest whirring quietly.

She turned her attention back to where Dick and the others were discussing what to do with David at the island in the kitchen, discussing living arrangements and other such trivialities.

"So" Dick said "we'll put him in the room just down from Raven's, ask Fury to install the suit-machine that Stark uses around the Tower, and give him the tour. Now the only question is; when do we let the others know?"

They pondered over the problem, brainstorming over a hundred potential ideas and solutions, then discounting them just as quickly.

Then, to everyone's amazement, Raven said "Why not just invite everyone over?" The others stared at Raven like she'd grown a second head, their gazes burning into her like five red-hot iron pokers.

"What; like a party?" Changeling asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Raven contemplated this for a moment, cocking her head to one side whilst gazing at the ceiling.

"Yeah" she said finally in her familiar monotone "I may not be a big fan of parties, but even I can see this is the easiest way for us to introduce David to the others."

She finished her little speech with her cheeks burning under her hood, images of David flying though her head, her brain fantasying about what he looked like under all that plating. Everyone agreed rather quickly, Starfire practically flying as her head nodded so fast it was barely visible, even as her face was split into a huge smile.

As soon as the decision was made, Starfire shot out of the room, claiming she had to 'make female arrangements', much to the boys' dragged Terra and Raven away with her, Raven glaring at the boys as they desperately tried to stifle their laughter at her horrified expression.

Just as the doors closed, the boys turned their attention back to the sleeping David, each one observing him from a different standpoint. Robin examined him from a tactical perspective, scanning both his suit and his body with a critical eye, seeing to what role he was best suited.

Cyborg observed from a technical viewpoint, both eyes sweeping over the complex design of his armour, his cybernetic one scanning each and every weapon, defensive system and every other detail in a hope of understanding how it worked.

It was Garfield who took the most interesting viewpoint. Instead of viewing David as an asset or a technological challenge, he looked at him as an actual person. He assessed his character, his morals and his intentions all through what he had seen him do in the short time he'd known him. It was a little known fact that Garfield Mark Logan was, in fact, an excellent judge of character, being able to tell someone's intentions purely from their body language.

Each of them stood there, calming watching David's sleeping form, assessing him as he snoozed. They were roused from their contemplative trances when they heard him moaning and thrashing in his sleep, his face scrunching into an expression of pain and distress. The three Titans stared at each other in confusion and concern, unsure of what to do next.

Their decision was made for them when David starting screaming, the sound shrill and piercing to their ears.

They lunged over the back of the couch, Cyborg grabbing his flailing arms and pinning them at his sides, whilst Changeling turned into an anaconda and wrapped himself around David's thrashing legs, constricting around his thighs to stop his struggling.

"David!" Dick shouted, holding the poor boy's head in one hand, struggling to keep it still "Come on! You're in Jump, in the Tower, you're safe! Wake up!" The commotion was so loud; he swore the girls could hear it up in the habitation level.

If only he knew how prophetic those thoughts truly were.

* * *

_Meanwhile… _

"You're hostin' a party?" Bumblebee asked, raising an eyebrow as she stared a Star over the group Skype chat she had opened with the female Titans of the other Titan groups, plus some of the honorary ones, and even those of the Bat Family and both Wonder Girls. Starfire nodded as she, Terra and a very reluctant Raven sat before Star's laptop in said Titan's room.

"Indeed" she said, her face beaming at the others on the screen "We are having one to welcome a new member!" That caused a general uproar amongst the others, each one demanding to know something about this new, mysterious member.

Eventually, the barrage of noise grew so loud that Raven lost control, her other set of eyes opening and glowing a harsh red as she screamed "SHUT UP!" making everyone cower slightly at the sight of her in all her demonic glory. Only Terra noticed the faint maroon tint on her cheeks as she calmed down, and a devilish smirk appeared on her face.

"Ok ok okaaay" Jinx said, holding out a hand in a warding gesture "we get it." She then leant forward conspiratorially, her eyes glinting in a very familiar mischievous way. "So…" she began, looking all three girls in the eye "got anything you can tell us about?" Star glanced at Terra and Raven, as if seeking permission, so when they nodded her face broke into a wide smile.

"Well" she began, her eyes sparkling "_he_ arrived yesterday, has a very advanced suit of armour, and was extremely polite when we met him" she finished, stressing the use of 'he', causing a chorus of '_ooooooh'_s to echo across the chat-room.

"Right" Pantha said, her heavy Mexican accent extremely prominent in her voice, "I now _really_ want to meet this hombre." Argent, Bee, Jinx and Kole collapsed in gales of laughter, unaware of the burning glare Raven was sending their way.

"Who else is coming to this bash?" Tula asked, the redhead's brow furrowed in thought. Aqualad had introduced them to her on one of their good-will trips to Atlantis, and they all remembered the boys' reaction when they first saw her. It had taken the girls to resort to bitch-slapping them to awaken them from their infatuated trances. It had then become a running joke that all Atlantians had the passive ability to infatuate any 'dry lander' of the opposite sex.

"Well" here Raven took over "All you guys are invited; plus the guys from the Bat side, and all the other Titans are coming, and I mean _all of them_." A stunned silence fell over the group, then the most unlikely person spoke up.

"So" Rose began **(yes, Rose Wilson, the fucking Ravager)**, her eyes tracking over the girls in an almost predatory manner, her white hair shining in the florescent lights of her apartment, an evil grin splitting her face, "who else feels like blowing certain boys' minds?" The grin spread across the girls, until every single one of them wore that exact expression, their eyes glinting in the lights.

It was then that the sound of a scuffle emanated from the Ops room, punctuated by very loud shouts, and the grins dropped.

"What's going on?" Bee asked, now thoroughly worried about her friends' safety. Raven glanced at Terra and Star, their faces matching expressions of worry and concern.

"No idea" Terra said, her brow furrowed and her eyes questioning. Everyone cringed as a very loud, very shrill scream cut through the air, and the three girls' eyes widened in horror.

"David…" they whispered, too quietly for anyone in the chat-room to hear. Starfire looked back at the group, all those present waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Excuse us friends" she said, her eyes betraying her overwhelming fear "we must do the investigating." She muted the mike on the computer and, following the others, fled towards the origin of the screams, their minds running rampant with what could be causing such a God-awful sound.

They forsook the elevator in favour of the stairway or, more precisely, jumping _down_ it. Each one flung themselves over the banister and fell down the gap between the flights of stairs, letting gravity hasten their journey.

They swung onto the main level and barrelled into the Ops to see the guys desperately trying to restraining a thrashing David, his face an expression of unspeakable agony. Cyborg looked over his shoulder to see them from his place behind the back of the couch, his human eye widening slightly.

"Thank God you girls got here" he shouted, trying to make himself heard over David's horrendous wails "He's been like this for ten minutes. Get yo' asses over here and help us calm him down!"

The girls acted without question; Starfire taking one of David's arms from Cyborg as they used their great strength to pin him to the couch,

Terra encasing his feet in stone so as to lessen the strain on Changeling's serpentine body.

Raven watched all this happen, levitating behind David's head as Dick fought to keep it still. When Dick had clamped both his hands around David's flailing head, he nodded to Raven who began chanting her mantra, closing her eyes as her soul-self split from her physical form and dove into David's mind, hoping to find the source of his pain.

It took all her concentration to avoid looking deeper into his memories, and to focus purely on the task at hand. She followed the burning trail deep into his mind, searching for the source of his agony.

She was amazed at the structure of his intellect; it was almost as structured as hers, yet unlike the floating stones of Nevermore, this seemed more mechanical, more robotic, with everything behaving to a pre-arranged pattern, and still allowed him to feel emotions like a normal human.

She stopped as she felt the trail go cold, signalling that here was the origin of his nightmare. She stood before what appeared to be a large fusion reactor, which glowed with a bright white light, whilst other colours such as red, green and blue swirled behind it.

"So this is his emotional centre" she thought, amazed at how…_intricate_ it looked. She stared deep into the depths of the machine, hoping to gain some clue as to why David was experiencing- or re-experiencing- such terrible pain.

For a while she saw no change, but then the reactor flashed a harsh red, and a tidal wave of energy rushed out, completely engulfing the poor demoness. She shut her eyes and turned away from the wave, hand raised in preparation for the flood of pain she knew she was about to endure.

So, when the wave passed harmlessly over her, she was understandably surprised.

But as she turned back, her breath caught in her throat. The entire fusion reactor had turned into some kind of…window, almost. She saw horrible scenes of children beating him, taunting him, outcasting him from any form of friendship circle he might've been in, whilst their cruel words cut deep into his very soul.

As she watched this, she realized she was viewing his nightmare.

Cautiously, warily, Raven approached the portal, afraid that she could inadvertently cause David even more distress.

Yet, to her surprise, as she got closer the visions calmed, showing more peaceful and joyous scenes, of him playing rugby with the Avengers and some of the X-Men, getting tackled to the ground by his father, whilst always wearing the same smile on his face. It warmed her heart to see him that happy, and her mouth curled into a whimsical smile.

She watched for a few more minutes, enjoying scenes of him being caught by Logan in a headlock, of him and Scott working of two motorbikes in a garage, of him being chased around a mansion by the younger X-Men and other she didn't recognize, and of him sitting with Xavier in a classroom packed with other children, watching the older man teach with something akin to awe.

Raven's smile grew as she watched these scenes and others like them, as did her respect for this man. Then, quite suddenly, she was wrenched from her place in his mind and back into her own body.

* * *

Her head snapped back as she gasped for air, like a drowning man just breaching the surface of the sea. Her eyes flew wildly around the room, taking in the worried faces of the Titans without really seeing them, until her gaze fell to David. His storm-grey eyes stared at her intently, as if trying to peer into the depths of her soul.

"You were in my mind" he growled, his tone unnaturally hostile "no one goes in my mind." Raven jumped back as David lunged over the back of the couch, swiping at her with one of his gauntleted fists.

The others cried out in surprise, and Terra encased David's arms in stone and pinned them behind his back to stop him attacking Raven, whilst still keeping the bonds around his feet in place.

David thrashed against his restraints, his eyes glowering at them as his struggled. As his struggles became even more desperate, Raven realised he wasn't angry at them; he was afraid. Afraid that once they found out who he really was, they'd reject him, cast him out as so many had done before. She approached him slowly, her arms held out before her in a pacifying gesture.

"It's ok" she whispered, speaking so only he could hear her "We're not gonna hurt you" His head snapped up, eyes slamming into hers as his emotions ran rampant.

"You can't promise that" he snapped, but at equal volume as hers "Many have before, yet they always lie." His voice broke on the last word, tears unshed for years welling in his eyes. Raven's heart wrenched at the sight of this strong man brought to tears, all because of a traumatic childhood.

Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing him into a comforting hug as she let his grief wash over her. As soon as he felt Raven's arms envelop him, David broke down, years of grief and torment pouring out in wracking sobs as tears flooded down his face.

The others stared on, confused as to what could have caused his sudden breakdown. Raven looked up and sent them all a look that said _I'll tell you all later_. Once his tears had run dry, which took all of five minutes, David told the others he wished to turn in for the night. He strolled out of Ops looking like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

As the doors closed all eyes fell to Raven, their questioning gaze burning into her brain. She sighed; this was going to a _very_ long night.

* * *

David groaned as his arm flailed in a hope of finding his alarm clock, its incessant beeping driving him insane. His fist slammed down on it, returning blessed silence to the room.

He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought. It had three days since he had joined the Titans in the Tower, and so far he couldn't imagine a better way to spend his time.

He had helped Cyborg incorporate Jarvis into the Tower mainframe, as well as help install his father's armour machine at several points around the tower.

Nightwing had been kind enough to allow him to train with the other Titans, allowing them to assess both his skills and how he worked with a team. Today he would spar with all the Titans in one-on-one combat.

Today was also the day of the much-dreaded party where he could be officially inducted into the Titans.

With a huff, he climbed out of his king-sized bed and walked the bathroom, scrubbing his eyes as he did so. Whilst he showered, he thought about how the past few days had gone.

It had been interesting, to say the least. Every minute had been a learning experience, forcing him to adapt to situations so ordinary, his now seeming military-style lifestyle couldn't have prepared him for. The bonding between the other Titans was also one of the many things he loved about being here.

He and Cyborg had hit it off pretty quickly, as he had needed the machine-man's help to install everything in the Tower. He noticed that everyone looked at Victor, as his real name turned out to be, as something of a big brother. He had grinned when he was told that in time, he too would adopt a similar attitude, purely out of habit.

Dick had proved himself to be a worthy leader, without falling into the trap of his mentor. He could be strict when he needed to be, yet very rarely. His time around the leader had revealed his softer side, and as David had observed Dick work, he noticed that he cared for every member of his little family. He could join in with the pranks of Cyborg and Changeling quite freely, he could mess around with the guys without any consequence to his position; if anything it seemed to strengthen it.

He couldn't wrap his head around Star. She seemed too naïve to be able to do what she did, but then her naivety could just be a mask that hid her true nature. She had been the most vocal about her feelings of him being here, and none of them were negative, much to his surprise. She had given him a tour of the tower, talking animatedly about various things; past fights, events, people, the list was truly endless. Her bubbly attitude and almost carefree outlook of life caused him to smile, purely out of her seemingly innocent nature.

Garfield was possibly the easiest to get along with. His happy-go-lucky attitude made him seem complete harmless, and his jokester ways forged him his place as the heart of the team. It was his jokes and pranks that stopped the others from being completely absorbed by their monumental duty, even if he did end up annoying the _entire_ team at one point or another. Although none of them would admit it- well, excluding Terra that is- the Titans loved their little changeling. He was the little brother of the group, and no matter how much they wanted to, they simply couldn't hate him forever.

Terra was a similar case, if slightly dampened by the weight of her past. She was confident, whilst also being slightly self-conscious, always wondering what the others would think of her actions before even considering acting on them. She had been his instructor-of-sorts, showing him how to use most of the training equipment and how to program the training course to suit his fighting style.

He turned off the shower, quickly dried, then wandered back into his room to get changed. In comparison to other rooms in the tower, his was relatively spartan. It had a bed against the far wall, with black and steel-grey sheets.

In one corner was a desk with a laptop, which had a direct link to the S.H.E.I.L.D network, as well as one to Stark Tower back in Manhattan.

One wall was completely dominated by his suit, along with its numerous armaments and the maintenance machines he needed to keep it fully operational.

He strode over to the drawers that sat next to his bed and pulled out a clean pair of boxers. As he slipped them on he heard someone knocking on his door. He calmly walked over and punched in the access code.

Raven stood in the doorway; her eyes wide as saucers as she drank in David's half-naked glory, her gaze lingering on his toned chest and chiselled biceps.

He chuckled lightly as he saw her entire face turned a deep maroon, and she coughed awkwardly in an attempt to cover her gawking.

"Dick wanted to me to t-tell you that he e-expects you in the training room in twenty minutes" she stammered, her eyes finding great interest in the floor, whilst her hood obscured her blush. He nodded, before lifting her chin so she was forced to look him in the eye.

"Tell him I'll be there" he said softly, his gaze getting lost in her amethyst eyes. She nodded slowly, her eye half-closing as she stared at him. They were interrupted by a very loud clang from further down the hall, Raven jumping back half a step.

She looked at him once before nodding and darting off down the hall. David sighed as his door hissed shut, his mind now running rampant with images of Raven, with that exact half-closed look on her face. He shook his head to clear his mind of those images; he couldn't afford to think like that right now.

He went back to his drawers and drew out his undershirt that he wore underneath his armour and a pair of loose-fitting jeans.

After he put them on he approached his armour cabinet, and punched in the access code in the console.

The glass slide aside whilst the arms of the machine whirred into life; moving the grieves, chestplate, gauntlets and bracers out of the way, leaving only the lower half of the boots. He placed his feet into the boots and raised his arms.

"JARVIS," he said, his voice clear and strong "activate the armour machine, but leave the helmet off."

"_Certainly sir_" a cultured British voice replied, and the machine then proceeded to place and secure each piece of the armour onto David's body. The process took three minutes, and when it had finished David grabbed the helmet and dashed to the Ops room for some breakfast. He thundered through the door in his haste, his footsteps sounding like an earthquake.

He swerved round Cyborg and Terra as he quickly threw together an Edam and Pastrami sandwich, and threw it down his neck just as quickly. The other two just gaped at him, before Cyborg spoke up"Yo Dave, what's the rush?"

He glanced over his shoulder as the words just flew from his mouth "Dick wants me in the training room in ten minutes, can't be late!" Just as he finished, he darted out of the room, leaving two very dazed and bemused Titans behind.

He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, sprinting through the Tower like Melphisto himself was on his heels. Just as he rounded the next corner he slammed into a very solid object and fell to the floor.

He heard light laughter, and looked up to see Dick offering a hand up. "Need a hand?" he said, a smug smirk on his face. David merely sighed and gratefully took it, hauling himself up to his feet. "Good" Dick continued "Because your training starts now. C'mon." he waved at him from over his shoulder as he entered the training room. As David began to follow, the one thought running through his head was:

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

**Aaaaaaand, there we are! Didn't get as far as I'd hoped in this chapter, but that means more stuff for next time! So, how will David cope during his induction ceremony? How will Raven cope when the rumour mill starts grinding? And what exactly jus went on in his head? To find out, check in next time! Until then read, review and enjoy. Chaio!**


	8. Chapter 8- Meeting the Family

**Whew, so sorry for the late update, but got bogged down with work to do before starting college on Tuesday, so my update rate might drop a bit. Anway, here is the party scene! Sorry if it's a but naff, as I said I had all the college work to do. So, enjoy, read and review.**

* * *

Raven watched impassively as David sparred with Cyborg, following his every move like a hawk did its prey. She was amazed that he could move so fluidly in all that armour, dodging blow after blow like he was made of water. Cyborg fired blast after blast from his sonic cannon, yet David managed to dodge every one.

He had restricted himself to using only the swords in his arms, saying it would be an unfair advantage to use the on-board targeting system with his guns and launchers, so it wouldn't be a true test of his skill.

He had already beaten Terra and Garfield, although they hadn't made it easy for him. The multiple scars and rents in his armour were testament to that. He danced around Cyborg, his blades glinting in the light, a wild grin on his face.

"Damn you, ya walking oil slick!" Cyborg bellowed "Stand still!" David didn't stop moving, although he did start closing in on the machine-man, his movements a lot more precise and calculated.

He didn't respond to any of Cyborg's taunts, his eerie silence making him seem that much more intimidating. He suddenly lept into the air, the boosters in his ankles firing for less than a second.

He flipped over Cyborg's head, arms held perpendicular to his shoulders, blades glinting in the light. He landed right behind Cyborg, his chestplate against his opponents back.

In a heartbeat he had wrapped both arms around Cy's massive chest, tilting his wrists so the blades ended up just beneath his throat.

"Don't. Move." he growled, tightening his already impressive grip for emphasis. The machine-man thrashed against his bonds, his face set in a fierce snarl, before succumbing.

"Alright, you win" he said, barely loud enough for the others to hear. David released him from his vice-like embrace, retracting his blades into his wrists.

He wiped his face on a nearby towel, and took a long draught from his water bottle whilst looking up at Dick, a smug smirk on his face.

* * *

"Wanna dance?" he asked innocently, whilst raising his wrist and once again extending the blades.

Gasps went round the room; no one had ever openly challenged their leader before. Dick merely closed his eyes and bowed his head in thought. When he opened them, a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Sure" he replied with a deceptive shrug and leapt down into the ring. They circled each other, gazes locked, weapons held low, looking for any weakness they could exploit.

Eventually, as always, Dick got impatient and charged. He swung his escrema sticks at both sides of David's head, intending to smash them into his temples.

David merely rocked back on his heels and allowed the weapons to pass harmlessly over his head, putting Dick off-balance whilst he drove an armoured knee into the Titan's doubled over, his body reacting instinctively to the blow.

Then, faster than they could blink, David appeared behind Dick and, grabbing him by his waist, hurled him across the ring. By this point, everyone was openly gaping.

No one, but _no one_, had floored Nightwing so easily before; not even Slade had managed such a feat. Dick groaned and shook his head as he rose, trying to clear the stars flashing before his eyes. He looked behind him to see David, leaning against the ropes with his arms folded over his chest, his metal mask completely expressionless.

Dick rose, this time keeping his mind calm, detached. They sprung at each other simultaneously, their weapons clattering nosily as they collided. They swung, they swiped, they lunged, they used every move in their arsenal just to touch the other, they attacks becoming swiftly, more precise, yet it still wasn't enough.

They duelled for a full ten minutes, by which point Garfield and Terra were sitting next each other on one of the benches with a huge bag of popcorn between them, their fingers interlaced and soft smiles on their faces whilst Terra rested her head on Gar's shoulder.

Raven took this in with a small smile of her own. Despite their recent break-up, she still felt some affection for the green bean, so she was relieved that he had managed to find some happiness in his life.

After finding about the fate of his parents, and his life before the Doom Patrol, everyone had to re-evaluate their opinion of the green prankster, and found out that beneath his happy-go-lucky attitude and joking demeanour, lay a very insecure man that hid behind his humour to hide his true self from others.

Her attention returned to the ring when she heard a series of loud clangs, and turned to see Dick, flat on his back and weapon-less, with the point of one of David's sword at his neck.

"Yield" he demanded, inching the blade closer to the leader's throat. Dick glared at him for a while, his masked eyes boring into the steel helm, before slowly raising his hands in surrender. Cheers erupted from the others as they saw David hoist Dick to his feet, his face still unreadable behind his metal mask.

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed, floating next to Raven with her hands clasped before her, her eyes sparkling. But when Dick stumbled slightly, clutching his side with a fierce grimace on his face, her smile faded.

Dick limped over to where his girlfriend hovered, staring resolutely at her despite the burning pain in his ribs. She was all over him as soon as he got within reach, hands running all over his body assessing the severity of his wounds.

"Kori" he whined, rolling his eyes as she fussed over his chest "I'm _fine_" One of her ruby eyebrows rose at his comment, and she pressed her fingers down hard on one of his bruised ribs, making him cry out in pain.

"There" she scolded "you are _not_ 'fine'. You are injured, and you need to rest." She eased him into a sitting position, placing him right next to Raven, whilst she went to prepare for her sparring session. She glanced down at her surrogate brother, a teasing smirk fighting its way onto her pale lips.

"Sooooo" she drew out the word, her eyes twinkling with mischief "trouble in paradise?" Dick groaned whilst shooting a half-hearted glare in the empath's direction.

"You have _no_ idea" he replied, his eyes sweeping round the room in an effort to find the alieness, and breathed a sigh of relief when she wasn't in. Raven cleared her throat and, still smirking, pointed over her shoulder. Dick turned with dread, praying that his assumption was wrong. Above him, clad in a very revealing purple unitard, stood Starfire, her emerald eyes shining down at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

He blanched then, in a move born of desperation to retain his manly pride, he bolted for the door.

The others openly gaped as they watched their 'fearless leader' actually try to run from the Tamaranean, his legs kicking up a miniature dust cloud behind him as he ran.

Starfire glared after him, before kicking off from the wall and launching herself at the door, whizzing past Dick in the process. As she passed, she wrapped an arm around his waist and dropped to the floor, taking him with her.

Richard grunted as pain flared along his side as he hit the ground, his eyes narrowing slightly. They shot open when he felt something-or some_one_- press down on his waist, and he looked down to see Star straddling him, her hands pressing down on his chest which, inadvertently, revealed a very generous amount of cleavage.

No one missed the raging blush that infused his face as he desperately tried to avert his gaze, sending pleading glances at the others which reduced them all to laughter. It was only then that he noticed the princess's sly smirk.

He scowled playfully up at her, his mask narrowing into a thin black line, before he grabbed her by her shoulders and rolled, this time pinning _her_ to the ground. That same smirk then appeared on Dick's face, his eyes shining behind his mask. David coughed loudly, interrupting their little flirt session, and causing them to stare at him.

"If you two are _quite_ finished…" he said, the teasing tone evident in his voice despite his helm. The couple blushed heavily, sharing shy glances as Dick slowly extradited Star from her prison. He helped her to her feet, his hand wrapped lightly around her left wrist. Starfire smile at him as she removed her wrist from his grasp before walking toward the ring, brushing her hand sensually over his chest as she past. Raven hid her giggles behind her hand as she watched Dick's face turn bright red, and watched as he flopped onto a nearby bench, whilst mutterings of 'he's so whipped' echoed from across the room.

Only David noticed the smirk on Star's face as she strutted over to the ring, swaying her hips provocatively whilst facing away from her currently-flustered boyfriend. David had to stifle his laughter at the whole scene- they reminded him of Scott and Emma, constantly flirting across a room- and began booting up his non-lethal weapon systems.

His bracers clattered as rubber bullet feed-chains were locked into place, the miniguns whirring as they prepared to go through the same process. Star entered the ring, her eyes betraying no fear as she watched him cycle through his weapons; repulsors charging, SA80s loaded, blades sharpened.

He raised an arm for her to inspect, and waited patiently as she ran her hands over each weapon, assessing its suitability.

She nodded, her gaze saying _you can use them_.

He bowed his head to her, before getting in his fighting stance; feet a shoulder's width apart, knees bent, right foot ahead of the left, torso turned to the left, arms bent at the elbows with palms raised. Starfire assumed her stance, hovering slightly with a starbolt in each hand, her eyes glowing fiercely. They stood there for what felt like days, gazing at each other for something that only they could see.

At some invisible signal they charged, David firing blast after blast from his repulsors whilst trying to dodge every volley his orange-skinned opponent sent his way.

Eventually he took to the air, the thrusters in his boots, calves and shoulder blades blasting into existence in a gust of superheated air. The two began to circle each other, slowly at first, but getting faster as more blows were exchanged. David forsook his repulsors in favour of his guns, their loud chattering filling the room as rubber bullets filled the air. They buzzed through the air to slam into Starfire, most of them bouncing off harmlessly, yet some doing some-albeit insignificant- damage.

Even that failed when she barrelled into him, sending them both tumbling to the ground, leaving a small crater where they landed. David recovered first, drawing his swords as he forced Starfire off him, allowing her to rise to her feet before attacking. They charged at each other, war cries on their lips as they clashed.

Earthen metal met Tamaranean flesh as Star's fists slammed against his blades, trying to keep them away from herself whilst leaving him open.

He surprised them all when, as Star swung a swift left hook at his torso, he sheathed his blades, _ducked under_ the blow and sent a perfect haymaker straight into her upper gut, his metallic fist smashing into her abdomen with a sickening crunch and sending her flying across the ring.

Everyone gasped as their Princess face-planted on the mats, her hair spilling over her face in a tide of crimson strands.

Dick sprinted to her, his injuries forgotten, and rolled her onto her back. He breathed a sigh of relief when she opened her eyes with a slight groan, her hand clutching her abs as she struggled to her feet.

Dick glared at David with such force, he was sure the man should've spontaneously combusted. He raised his hands in surrender at Dick's glare; sure his armour would melt off any minute. He watched as Cyborg hefted her arm over his shoulder and escorted her out of the room; probably taking her to the infirmary, with an anxious and thoroughly worried Dick following in their wake.

Garfield stood, bringing Terra up with him, and proclaimed "Well, that means sparring's over for today." He glanced over at a-now petrified David, who was staring at his hand in absolute horror, and said "Nice punch by the way" and strolled out with Terra on his arm. As soon as they left, David collapsed to the floor, all strength leaving his limbs. Raven dashed over to him, sensing the dread rolling off him. He tore off his helmet, revealing bloodshot eyes, wild with fear.

"He hates me now, doesn't he?" he whispered, his voice so quiet Raven had to strain her ears to hear him.

"He doesn't _hate_ you" she replied, gently pulling him to his feet by his arm and wrapped hers around his waist "he's just…_concerned_, about Star's wellbeing."

He shook his head, his eyes half-closed with regret.

"You didn't see the way he glared at me" he continued, ignoring Raven's statement "I could _see _the hate in his eyes. I could literally _feel_ the rage" He shivered at the memory, still feeling the burning glare searing into his skin.

Suddenly he realized something, his eyes widening, and her wrenched his gauntlets off his wrists, as well as the bracers, until his arms were bare. He glanced over his skin, taking in details only he could see, before dashing off to the infirmary, Raven hot on his heels.

He skidded round the corners like an Olympic ice-skater; his feet gliding over the smooth floor like ice as he flew down the corridors, his heart drumming against his ribs whilst his turbine screamed.

He barrelled into the infirmary before skidding to a halt, jamming his heels into the floor to slow his breakneck pace.

He stopped right before the bed on which Starfire sat, watching as Cyborg bandaged her lower chest, ignoring the wary glances Dick sent his way.

"Guys" he started, his voice rough and scratchy as if he hadn't used it in days "I think we have a problem."

* * *

That got people's attention. Starfire's eyes shot to him, Cyborg turned from his work, both Terra and Changeling stood from where they sat in two nearby chairs, even Dick managed to force his eyes away from his girlfriend to focus on David.

It was then they all noticed what he had seen, and they too grew afraid.

"Dude" Gar breathed; worry lacing his voice "why are your arms glowing?"

And so they were, the muscles and veins glowing ever-so-faintly, seemingly lit by an inner light.

David held them out, his eyes darkening before he continued "Thor told you the reactor in my chest was plumbed into my nervous system, right?"

The others nodded mutely, their eyes never leaving his arms.

He sighed, before saying "Thanks to that, I can unconsciously funnel some of that energy to my muscles; be it arms, legs, if there's a muscle I can probably channel energy to it." He glanced at Dick and Star, his eyes glazing over slightly and his voice growing neutral, almost analytical.

"That makes me much faster and stronger than normal, even without the suit. That's why I cracked Star's ribs. I didn't mean to, it was instinctive." All eyes turned to Dick; they knew Star had forgiven him, she couldn't hold a grudge against anyone for more than a day. Dick glanced at David, studying him, before turning his gaze to the resident alieness, her eyes pleading with him. He sighed; he could never resist _the eyes_, as Terra had dubbed them, and turned back to David, who had a nervous smile on his face.

"Very well" he said, putting on his best 'leader-voice' "you are forgiven." The sigh of relief that followed was like a great wind that passed through the room, taking all the hate and negativity away with it.

Cyborg stood up from Starfire, saying "Well lil lady, you're all patched up." As soon as he moved away, Dick took his place by her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Cyborg beckoned David over to the free bed.

"I'll have to ask you to lose the suit" he said, tapping away at the console as he prepared the equipment. David glanced at Raven, scepticism clear in his eyes. She smiled at him encouragingly, reminding him strongly of his mother's smile.

He smiled back, the dark cloud in his eyes diminishing slightly, before saying "JARVIS, remove the suit"

Almost immediately, panels in the floor retracted and several mechanical arms rose from the ground. His boots were clamped to a large panel, preventing them from moving whilst the machine unscrewed the bolts that connected them to the rest of the suit. It removed all the leg-plates first, leaving only the outer part of the boots visible whilst the rest disappeared below. It then carefully removed his shoulder-pads, before loosening both halves of his chestplate and removing that as well. He took a step back, and the machinery sank back into the floor, leaving him clad in his civvies.

He rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the tension that sparring had caused in them. Cy glanced up, running his eyes critically over David's form.

"The shirt too" he said quickly, prepared a set of electrodes attached to one of the machines.

David sighed, his had drooping as he pulled his shirt off, saying "I hope, for the love of God, you don't plan on stripping me completely." He didn't miss the way the others chuckled, nor the furious blush that spread across Raven's face like a maroon wave.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one, for Starfire piped up and said "Friend Raven, why do you blush?" Then she looked at David's chiselled physique, then back to Raven, and a horribly familiar smirk appeared on her face. David lay down on the bed whilst Cyborg attached the electrodes to multiple parts of his upper body. He exhaled slowly, waiting patiently for the machine-man to finish whatever tests he was running. Everyone had clustered around to see what was going on.

"Whelp" Cy said, bringing up a holographic display of David's nervous system "if these scans are correct, you can channel that energy to almost _anywhere_ in your body, muscle or not." David's eyes widened, whilst a fierce smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. Cy continued, moving to an image of his skeleton.

"According to these results, you can make your bones ten times stronger than normal, speed up the healing process; superheat your skin or cool it down, even hit Mach 6 whilst flying in the suit. But you aren't invincible." His vicious smile grew, dominating his face whilst his teeth flashed in the light, as he seemed to ignore the machine-man's last statement.

Then the doorbell rang.

David's eyes widened and he wrenched the electrodes off his chest, grabbed his shirt, and bolted for his room. The others stared after him, perplexed.

"What was that about?" Terra asked, raising a solitary golden eyebrow. The others just shrugged, before leaving to go prepare for the upcoming party. Raven glanced after him, still the turmoil that fell from him. Was he so scared of the other Titans that he wanted to lock himself away from them?

_Nah_ she thought, wondering off toward her room _must be part of his 'master plan'_. She strolled into her room, the door hissing shut behind her, as she prepared herself for what was about to become the wildest night of her life.

* * *

It was around seven now, and the party was in full swing. All the Titans had come, and some other guests alongside. Both Donna Troy and Cassandra Sandsmark, aka Troia and Wonder Girl, attended alongside Conner Kent- aka Superboy; the entirety of the young Bat-clan, Tula, Rose Wilson and Jade Nguyen (aka Cheshire) and, to everyone's surprise, Blackfire.

When she had arrived at the Tower there had been an uproar, some wanted her to be thrown out, others wanted her to join in, as she had been made an honorary Titan a month earlier.

The matter had been made worse when she had revealed she had come with Red-X, the infamous anti-hero of Jump City and a keen rival of the Titans. Eventually, after much deliberation, the Titans caved and allowed them in. Whilst all the guys were clad in suits and tuxes (aside from X, he refused to wear a 'glorified strait-jacket'), the girls surprised them all by turning up in an astounding variety of dresses, strapless, corsets, spaghetti strapped, you name it, someone wore it.

At exactly six o'clock, Nightwing clapped his hands loudly and said "You all know why you're here, so I think it's about time you found out exactly _who_ you'll be meeting." He had then guided them all to the rooftop. They stood on the roof, clumped together, staring expectantly at their leader, who, along with the other five, stood near the edge of the roof, and still had that infuriatingly arrogant smirk on his face.

"If you would direct your attention to the docks" he said, pointing at the area where the helicarrier was concealed. As they all turned, he nodded to Raven, who quickly whispered her mantra under her breath and sent a short telepathic message across the gulf.

Soon after, four small dots of light were seen in the night sky, rapidly approaching. Soon, a silhouette could be seen, roughly humanoid, but still lacking in detail. Then, just before it reached the Tower, it went vertical, gaining altitude before disappearing into the , quite suddenly, the roar of jet engines could be heard, and a faint glow could be seen amidst the clouds.

"Ladies and gentlemen" Nightwing said, the smirk visible in his eyes whilst he spread his arms wide, with the other original five (including Terra) at his back, their own smirks identical to his "I give you Steel Rain."

With those words, David plummeted from the clouds, his engines screaming and his eyes flashing.

Just before his exited the clouds, he launched a small volley of missiles that exploded fifty feet above the Tower in a beautiful display of pyrotechnics. He flew through the burning cloud, flames licking at the edges of his armour.

He slammed onto the rooftop, landing on one knee beside Nightwing, his thrusters still burning. He rose to the applause of the other Titans, oscillating through all his weapons as he did so. He nearly laughed at the expressions on the Titans' faces as they bore witness to the sheer number of weapons he held, yet the applause continued.

When the applause died down, David couldn't resist saying "Well? Aren't we meant to be having a _fiesta?!_"

A loud cheer ran through the group and, to add to the flash of his entrance he, along with the others, leant back and swan-dived off the ledge. As they dropped, all seven of them swung through the Ops window, either by flight, cable or a well-timed kick in the butt in the case of Cyborg.

Just as they hit the ground, they heard the thunder of feet from the hallway, and turned just in time to see a veritable tide of people rush through the doors, each one trying to get a glimpse of the new arrival.

He got swarmed the minute he managed to sit down next to the island in the kitchen, everyone desperate to get to know the man under the suit, forcing him to stand up again.

Soon, a chant of "Take it off! Take it off!" had been started, and had spread throughout the room like wildfire. But he wouldn't give in. His pride refused to give in, refused to be swayed. Even when Nightwing, Cyborg and Changeling joined in, he still didn't break. Nor did he when Starfire and Terra joined in, whilst the other Titans tried to surround him, forcing him back towards the doors. He stopped suddenly when his back collided with something, something small and soft. He turned around slowly, almost mechanically, only to look into Raven's violet orbs.

The shock of her being that close caused him to jump back, which in turn made him lose balance and collapse on the had expected to be crushed under a sea of bodies as soon as he hit the ground, so was pleasantly surprised when a man in a Red Army dress uniform- Red Star, he had been told his name was- extended a hand and helped him to his feet.

"Спасибо товарищу (Thank you comrade)" he said, in perfect Russian with no trace of an accent, surprising everyone. Red Star nodded, smiling beneath his ushanka, and walked away towards the bar, where Pantha sat.

David exhaled, glad to be free of the incessant mantra, before stiffening as he felt Raven put one slim hand in his shoulder.

"Why don't you take the suit off?" she asked, looked up at him from his side out of the corner of her eye"We've already seen you without it, why not them?" He sighed before looking her dead in the eye.

"There are some things that I would prefer to remain hidden from the world" he said, his voice muffled by the helmet. "But maybe you're right" he turned towards the others, all enjoying the party that raged around them.

He clapped his hands loudly, the clang of metal-on-metal echoing through the room. The others quieted down upon hearing the dong-like tones, their focus down purely on David. He rose to his full height, his posture military-grade, and said quite plainly "You wanted to know who I am, under this suit" he hands began to undo the clasps at his helmet "Well" he pulled it off with a hiss of escaping air "here I am." He finished with one of his father's charismatic smiles, his grey eyes twinkling as, by an unspoken command, the machinery under the floor rose and methodically removed every other armour piece on his body; revealing a very smart navy suit underneath, with a white undershirt and navy tie, complete with jet black dress shoes.

Once again everyone in the room, aside from Titans West, cheered as he unceremoniously tossed the headpiece aside and strode into the throng. Soon others began discarding their disguises; Nightwing, Speedy and Herald lost their masks, Raven lowered her hood, Cheshire lost her mask, even Pantha removed her wrestler mask, much to everyone's surprise.

Only Red-X kept his on, which led to many people becoming both confused and curious about who was really behind it. He down-right refused to take it off, and even Blackfire seemed nervous about it. Eventually, after the other had given up, David approached the couple as they stood next to the window, an arm wrapped around each other's shoulders.

"Forgive me for interrupting" he started, his voice smooth and polite as they turned to look at him.

"Yes?" the elder Tamaranean princess said hotly, her eyes narrowing to mere slits, her hands placing themselves on her hips, over her purple strapless dress "Is there a reason for your interruption?" X placed a calming hand on her shoulder, leaned down and whispered something in her ear before turning his attention to David.

"Forgive her rudeness" he said, his voice masked by the modulator in his mask "she's cranky when she doesn't get enough sleep." David nodded whilst Blackfire slapped his arm with a rather put-out expression, her face forming an incredibly cute pout as she crossed her arms over her chest and pointedly looked away. "She does have a point though" he continued "why _are_ you over here?"

David glanced at the sulky princess, then back at X, a sly smirk appearing on his face.

"Oh, I dunno" he said, his voice sounding horribly innocent "maybe I wanted to see the great Grand Ruler of Tamaran" Blackfire stiffened at those words, her mouth suddenly going very dry. "Maybe I wanted to get to know people that in my dimension are deemed mere works of fiction" he continued, beginning to pace before them, apparently oblivious to her reaction, although his eyes were shining mischievously. "Or maybe I, like the others, was curious about the man behind the mask" Here he stopped and looked directly into X's eyes.

"Maybe I wanted to know what be forcefully resurrected felt like" his voice lost its teasing edge and turned deadly serious "maybe I wanted to know how much hate one man can hold, how much rage he can bottle up before he breaks. Maybe I wanted to know how a man can kill so easily, despite being raised in a place where such actions are abhorrent."

His face transformed into a fierce scowl.

"Or maybe I wanted to know how a man, recently declared dead, has the audacity to not only arrive in this city, but _steal_ from his own brother's vault, without even having the decency to inform him, or anyone else for that matter, of your miraculous return!"

His voice had risen to a shout, causing all other conversation to cease and for all eyes to turn in their direction. X, for his part, was trying _really_ hard not to look nervous, but the slight shaking of his hands gave him away.

"So" David continued, stepping right into the thief's personal space "do you want to tell them, or should I…_Jason_" and tore off his mask, revealing his true face. Sapphire eyes glared at him from beneath black brows, a shock of black hair only marred by the white streak across his fringe.

* * *

Gasps spread throughout the room, Dick and the other Bat-clan members paling as they saw they lost brother.

Blackfire looked away, trying to bury herself into the wall. David stepped back, allowed Dick, Barbara, Tim and the others to surround the returned son.

They all stood there for what felt like an age, simply staring at each other, six pairs of unbelieving eyes staring at a man they had deemed dead long ago.

Then Babs slapped him.

It wasn't a hard slap, but the sharp crack echoed around the room like a gunshot, causing many of the guys to wince in sympathy. That seemed to be a tipping point, because right after Bab's slap, the rest piled in, dragging the struggling Jason into a large group hug, ignoring his desperate flailing.

The others couldn't resist laughing at the look of shock and barely disguised horror that emerged on his face, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Even Blackfire's contralto laugh swept over the room as she watched her boyfriend struggle against his siblings, until he sighed and gave up, embracing them like he had done all those years ago.

The girls were in tears, crying into his shoulders and chest as they hugged him, soaking the material of his suit with their tears. Tim had a huge grin on his face, his arms unwinding from around Jason's chest, his eyes shining as he stepped back.

The only person not to partake in the group hug was Dick, to everyone's surprise. He stood on the edge, eying the entire group warily, as if afraid to join them.

Jason looked up and, noticing Dick's distance, said "What's wrong Boy Blunder? Afraid I'll slip through your fingers again?"

Tim chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders as she popped up beside him, sighing as she snuggled up to him. Dick rolled his eyes in faux despair at his little brother, before slowly walking forward. Babs and the other Batgirls moved to the side, unsure of what Dick would do when he got in reach of Jason. They stood, a shoulder's width apart from each other, merely staring the opposite in the eye, faces blank.

Then, almost too quietly to hear, Dick said "Get over here ya little runt" and crushed his brother in a monster bear hug. Cheers spread throughout the crowd as they watched the brothers embrace with vigour, pounding each other on the back like two brawlers.

When Dick finally let Jason go, he glanced around before asking "Hey, anyone seen Damian?" The other Titans glanced around, confused, whilst the Bats pointed over Dick's shoulder with matching smirks on their faces.

Both Dick and Jason turned around just in time to be hit by an eighty four pound, black haired wrecking ball, as Damian Wayne barrelled into his two eldest brothers, effectively clothes-lining them, a giant grin on his face.

"Sup guys!" he exclaimed, his voice brimming with joy despite the glares being sent his way.

"Sup D" Dick said, his voice choked due to the fact that his little brother was sitting on his rib cage "now can you do me a favour and _get off me!_"

Laughter broke out amongst the group, and Jason couldn't resist saying "Ah, lighten up Chuckles! He's just happy to see ya!" Dick groaned as Babs helped him to his feet, before motioning for the others to continue.

Very soon the dancing started, with the couples getting together and enjoying the music. David glanced around, seeing the pairs; Dick and Starfire, Garfield and Terra, Cyborg and Bee, Argent and Hot Spot, Kid Flash and Jinx, Jericho and Kole, Tim and Rose, Cassidy and Conner, Jason and Blackfire, even Red Star and Pantha were dancing. It was then that he noticed Raven, alone and forlorn in one corner, clad in her figure-hugging black strapless evening dress, looking around just as he was. He strolled over to her, walking with purpose, his legs carrying him effortlessly over to her.

"May I have this dance _mademoiselle_?" he asked, holding out his hand. Raven blushed heavily, her heart doing cartwheels as soon as the French rolled sensually off his tongue whilst she took his hand, looking away shyly. He led her to the makeshift dance floor, one hand clasped in hers, the others resting on the small of her back as they swayed in time with the music.

"You're good" she said after he expertly twirled her away and back into his arms, her back being pressed into his chest.

"Well, bonus and curse of having a billionaire ex-playboy as a father" he replied ruefully, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Meanwhile Dick, Star, Gar, Terra, Bee and Vic had gathered around the island in the kitchen, alongside Jinx and Kid Flash, plus Blackfire and Jason, eying the new couple as they glided around. Star gasped happily when she saw how close they were, and nearly squealed when she saw the fierce blush on her friend's pale face.

"Glorious!" she cried "I will be doing the 'girl-talk' with her later about this!" Blackfire rolled her eyes at her sister's childlike attitude, even if she did think it was kind of adorable.

"How can he be that close and _still_ have intact limbs?" Bee wondered, Jinx nodding in agreement whilst Terra giggled.

"Damn" was the boys' response, their eyes glued to the spectacle before them. It was then that Aqualad and Tula joined them, followed by Tim and Rose.

"Whatcha starin' at?" Rose asked, her white locks blending effortlessly with her white corset and skirt whist an eyebrow rose slightly at the Team's near slack-jawed expressions. They all nodded in Raven's direction, and when the others turned to them, they too gasped and ogled at them. Pretty soon though, the party began to wind down, and David said he had the perfect party ender.

He rushed to the rooftop, with the others following behind him leisurely, their energy spent after a night of dancing. They arrived to see him, now clad once again in his armour, staring out the horizon whilst standing on the edge, his back to them. There was a loud hiss as the Steel Rain launcher revealed itself, followed by a clunk as the missile tubes were loaded. He took a few steps back so he was at the front of the group, Dick and Cyborg flanking him.

"This" he said, slow and deliberate "is my gift to you."

With that, his spread his arms and thousands of fireworks speared out of his chest, each one arching into the sky before exploding into a cloud of light and sound. Even though there were thousands in the sky, he kept launching more, his chest turning into a strobe light as volley after volley streaked from the tubes, lighting up the sky around the bay with a mad variety of colours. The guests gasped and cheered at the display, thoroughly impressed by his work with pyrotechnics.

Raven, however, didn't cheer. Instead, her thought returned to their dance, and the fuzzy warm feeling she'd had when she was in his arms. She stared at him from across the group, sure she could see the smile beneath the helmet, feeling the joy radiating off him like a beacon. They all stood there for over an hour, watching the sky erupt into colour as they celebrated the coming of a new brother into their little family.

No one noticed that the snow had stopped, the winds had ceased, and the temperature was actually bearable, and no one saw the plume of fire from the power plant, signalling the destruction of the weather machine, and no one saw the breach there flash an ominous icy blue, whilst a slight wind blew from within as something moved inside. They were happy as they were.

Too bad happiness doesn't last forever.

* * *

**Whew *wipes forehead* THAT was HARD! Still think the first bit was crap, but can't change it now. So, who likes X being Jason Todd? Who liked the fireworks scene at the end? And do you have any requests for any events, character etc? Just post your opinions, ideas and requests in the reviews section. Next chapter might take a while, but rest assured the badassery WILL begin. Unti then read, review and, most importantly, enjoy it! Chaio!**


	9. Chapter 9-All Good Things

**A thousand apologies for the extremely late update! I have no proper excuse except 'college' and 'writer's block'. Aside from that, I watched some of the Ultimate Spider-Man, so that should give a few clues as to the direction this story is going. Anyway, on with the story!**

* * *

David woke up with a sigh, the memories of last night flooding back into his head, causing him to smile.

After his little fireworks display, most of the Titans had left for their respective homes, aside from the Bats, Blackfire, Jason, Rose, Jinx, Kid Flash, all of Titans East, Cheshire and Tula.

They had all stayed over and so were given some of the guest rooms (aside from Bumblebee, she found her own accommodation with everyone's favourite tin man.)

He stretched as he rose, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and got up to greet the new day.

He quickly showered and shaved his growing 'tash, hating the feel of week-old stubble on his upper lip, before changing into a dark navy blue flannel shirt and light brown chinos.

He strolled out of his room and started towards the elevator, humming _Young Volcanoes_ by Fall Out Boy. By the time he reached Raven's room, he was in full song, he voice echoing up and down the corridors.

"_When Rome's in ruins, we are the lions, free of the coliseums._" he sang, shaking his head in time to an invisible beat. Raven heard him coming, and poked her head out to see what he was doing.

"_In poison places"_

he continued, his voice caressing her ears as he sang

"_we are anti-venom, we're the beginning, of the end"_

Raven could only stand there, staring, as he walked towards her, his voice- _Azar, his __**voice**_- flowing down the hallway like liquid gold.

"_Tonight the foxes hunt the hounds, and it's all over now before it has begun, we've already won_." he continued, apparently oblivious to his audience.

He winked at Raven as he passed, laughing quietly as she blushed and retreated back into her abode. He whistled the melody as he got into the elevator, thoroughly happy with his new life.

He casually walked into the Ops room, still singing as he set about making breakfast whilst Titans West and Bumblebee just stared at him in shocked surprise.

"_We are…wild. We are like, young volcanoes" _he sang, happily frying some bacon on the stove

"_We are, wild. Americana, exotica. Do you want to feel a little beautiful baby!" _

It was only after he had made himself a very large bacon sandwich did he notice the stares the others were giving him.

"What?" he asked innocently, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich.

"Dude" Cy said, looking up from where he and Bee sat on the couch "why the _hell_ were you singing 'Young Volcanoes' on your way down here?"

Garfield looked up and raised a hand before David could reply, saying "Don't deny it man, I know you were. Enhanced hearing and all." David just shrugged and flopped down on the couch, ending up at one end next to Terra, munching happily on his bacon sandwich.

He watched Garfield shudder, muttering "Murderer" under his breath as he eyed the bacon. It was then that Raven walked in. As soon as she saw him, she blushed and raised her hood, hurrying to the kitchen to make her tea.

This didn't go unnoticed by the others, specifically a certain blonde, redhead and winged African-American, or their respective boyfriends, and matching smirks spread throughout the group.

"Oh Raaaaven" Bee called over her shoulder, accompanied by giggles from the other girls "you got some explanin' to do, gurl!"

The laughter intensified as they saw her blush deepened and she turned away, hiding her face in shadow.

David finished his sandwich and got up to place his plate on the rack in the kitchen. As he placed it down, Raven brushed past him, her hand lightly touching his arm.

That was enough to send lightning shooting along both their nerves, causing both parties to jump slightly, startled at the sudden jolt. No one noticed Raven's raging blush, or the shocked look on David's face.

But no one, and _no one_, missed the sudden clatter as the plate, along with two saucepans and multiple pieces of cutlery were suddenly engulfed in dark energy.

Silence reigned in the common room as the two simply stared at each other their eyes lost in the other's, their faces as red as tomatoes. Then, just as suddenly, Raven phased through the floor, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

David just stood there, staring at the spot where she had been, before shrugging and wondering out of the room.

Just as he left, Jinx and Wally walked in, arm in arm, staring over their shoulders at the departing genius.

"What just happened?" Jinx asked, perplexed, a pink eyebrow brushing the edge of her hairline. Bee and Star just giggled, whilst Terra gave them a look that said _we'll tell you in a minute._

Suddenly, a gust of wind brushed past her, and Wally appeared at her side, with two large plates piled high with food.

"Your breakfast, _senorita_" he said, the Spanish rolling off his tongue like water. Jinx blushed and ducked her head whilst taking her plate and sitting down on the couch, somehow landing next to Terra with Wally zipping next to her.

Finally, Starfire wondered aloud "I wonder if Friends Raven and David have the feelings for each other?"

That comment caused Dick to choke on his coffee, Wally to choke on one of the sausages he was busy downing, and for Garfield and Vic to collapse into gales of laughter. Terra and Bumblebee glances despairingly at their boyfriends; whilst Jinx and Star tried to stop theirs' from dying from asphyxiation. Finally, all the boys had to come up for air, wiping tears out of their eyes.

"Star" Dick said "this is _Raven_ we're talking about. It took her years to open up to us, what makes you think she's already fallen for David?"

Starfire sighed and looked her lover in the eye.

"For such a smart man, Richard" she said, his name sliding off her tongue like velvet "you can be unbelievably dense" She looked up as the doors opened to reveal Jason, Barbara, Blackfire, Rose and the other Bats strolling in, alongside Conner and the two resident Amazons.

"What happened this time, Kori?" her sister asked, glancing at the group from where she stood in the kitchen. This time Bee answered, her cheeky grin spreading across her face like lightning.

"Oh, y'know, just boys being incredibly dense to what's directly under their noses. Things like food, TV remotes…a certain empathy and boy genius who refuse to even consider their obvious feelings for each other."

Tim choked out a laugh, Jason starting spluttering just as he took a sip of his coffee, Conner collapsed in hysterics and Damian just scoffed and pointedly turned away from, as he deemed them, 'childish activities'.

The girls merely glanced at the boys and sighed, shaking their heads in mock despair.

"Really guys?" Rose said, her one good eye sweeping over them before resting on Tim; who had joined Conner on the floor, laughing hysterically "is that your only reaction?

"She glanced at Tim, and a dangerous smirk appeared on her face.

She sauntered up to him, swaying her hips as she did so, causing everyone to stop and stare at her as Tim hauled himself up from his place near the island, wiping tears from his eyes. Those same eyes were glued to her, drinking in her form as she pressed herself against him.

"Is that your reaction to me?" she asked huskily, her sultry eye closing half-mast as she stared at him through her lashes.

Tim began to stutter, his breath coming in short, irregular gasps as blood infused his face, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

Those on the couch collapsed in a collective heap, laughing themselves to tears at the look on Tim's face.

"I-I uh-I-" Tim's attempts at forming a coherent sentence vanished every time his girlfriend rubbed against him, her animistic purrs sending shivers of desire down his spine.

Suddenly, the common room doors shot open, and the comic sight of Roy 'Red Arrow' Harper flying backwards through the air filled everyone's view. The look of terror on his face made the entire image even more hilarious as he crashed into the back of the couch. They laughed as the poor archer got up and hurried to cower behind Dick and Gar, his hands shaking.

"What happened this time Roy?" Dick asked, rolling his was only two things on this Earth to instill such fear in the ward of Oliver Queen; a pissed-off Black Canary, which didn't happen very often since she was practically his mother, and a very, _very_ pissed off Jade, "What did you do?"

Roy could only shake his head before the doors opened to reveal a positively _fuming_ Jade Nguyen, her dark hair disheveled and erratic whilst her eyes blazed with impotent fury. Roy ducked as her gaze raked over the couch, curling into a ball below the seats as she approached them, desperately trying to blend into the cushions.

All conversation stilled as Jade lent over the back of the couch, resting her elbows on the cushions as she asked "Anyone seen Roy?" in a sickeningly sweet voice. The others on the couch turned to look at each other, then looked at Jade and rapidly shook their heads. She pouted adorably, saying "Damn. I hoped he'd know where the hell my underwear vanished to last night" and promptly walked out.

When Roy raised his head cautiously, saying "Is she gone?" he failed to register the strange stares the others were all aiming at him.

It didn't click until Vic said "Hiding her underwear _again?!_ Man, do you _ever_ learn?" That broke the tension in the room, and Roy got up with his face aflame as laughter bounced off the walls around him.

He began to retreat from the room, and had just reached the doors when they swung open and Jade reappeared, leaping from the shadows to pounce on his back, locking her slim legs around his waist and her lithe arms around his neck.

"Fuck!" he choked out, as his now-rabid girlfriend forced him out of the room by leaning back, using her body-weight to force him to walk backwards.

The others laughed as the doors closed, cutting off their view of the imminent scrap. As soon as the doors slipped shut, they directed their attention to their own problems even if, in the back of their minds, they too wondered what was happening with their two teammates.

Little did they know, that at that exact moment, similar thoughts were running through the minds of those same people, and those thoughts would change their lives forever.

* * *

Raven sat in her room, levitating a good foot above the ground in the lotus position, desperately trying to wrap her head around what had happened with David.

She had tried meditating before, but the serenity she sought eluded her still. Eventually, she had decided on possibly the most reckless course of action, yet one that promised the most accurate results: a trip to Nevermore. She stood up and walked over to her vanity, sitting down at the desk and reaching tentatively for her meditation mirror.

As she raised it to her face, she muttered her mantra under her breath and, as expected, a shadowy claw emerged and grabbed her, before dragging her into the glass clutched in it's dark grip.

She blinked slightly as she exited the portal; effortless transition between realms was something of a luxury now.

She glanced around, taking in the mysterious beauty of her mind before striding off towards the domains of her emotions. Soon she was surrounded by pink meadows and flowers, and a soft breeze blew through the entire area. She continued to walk, oblivious to her surroundings her mind firmly set on her path.

Soon, she saw what she had come all this way to find running around in a nearby field, making aeroplane sound effects as she ran.

"Happy!" Raven yelled, her voice echoing across the landscape, instantly grabbing her emoticlone's attention.

She looked up, before squealing and rushing over to Raven and catching her in a crushing bear hug.

"Rae Rae!" the bubbly emotion cried, her pink cloak swirling around her as she let go and span around, spreading her arms out in the process. Raven tried to force back a smile as she watched the emoticlone spin on the spot, feeling the joy radiating off her like a beacon.

"Happy" she began, her eyes darting around the area in irrational fear of being watch "could you tell me where Love is?"

Happy stopped in her tracks, turning her head to stare at the demoness with a shocked expression on her face, jaw slack.

"Are you serious right now?" she asked, her voice rising a few octaves at the end "You actually want to see _her_, voluntarily?" Raven nodded slowly, her gaze unwavering.

Happy drew in a shaky breath, before muttering "She's gotta be crazy right now." Raven merely strode forward, her gaze locked on something on the horizon, Happy quickly darting after her. They flew across numerous paths, passing through innumerable domains, before arriving in the flowery meadow that was Love's domain. Raven touched down lightly, her eyes already scanning the area for the emoticlone.

She breathed deeply, the sweet aroma of the flowers soothing her senses. Then she felt something behind her, and spun round so fast her cloak billowed around her like a sapphire cloud. Before her stood a lavender-cloaked version of herself, staring at her with a curious expression.

"And to what do I owe this visit?" Love asked, raising a single lilac eyebrow as her hood dropped to her shoulders.

Raven looked around again, as if scared of being overheard, before saying " I need to know some things about…" she trailed off, noticing something glinting in the light, less than five feet away.

"Is that…David's helmet?" she asked suddenly, recognizing the jet-black headpiece nestled amidst the flowers. She plucked it up lightly, turning it over in her hands, feeling a slightly warm glow in her gut as she stared into the now-blank lenses.

She heard a light giggle from behind her, and turned to see Love laughing delicately, a slim hand raised over her mouth to hide the growing smile.

"What?" she snapped, feeling her irritation rising by the second. Love giggled again, waving a hand in her direction.

"You really are oblivious aren't you?" she asked, the melodious laughter still evident in her voice whilst her eyes twinkled. "Oblivious to WHAT?!" Raven yelled, her already-thin patience shattering at that last statement, her muscles involuntarily bunching as her frustration grew.

Then the sound of a clicking tongue entered her ears, and her head snapped round to stare at possibly the strangest thing the demoness has seen all day.

There, standing right in front of her, was another emoticlone, clad in a cloak of a strange mix of dark red and pink with one hand placed on her cocked hip, a sly smirk on her face.

But the strangest thing was her stance. It wasn't dangerous, like Rage's, or annoyingly energetic, like Happy or Brave, it was…sultry, _erotic_ even. As she moved, Raven saw the sheer lace lingerie the emotion wore beneath the cloak, and her blood froze in her veins.

"No…" she breathed, her eyes widening considerably in recognition of who, or rather _what_ stood before her.

"Hey there hun" Lust purred, her voice sending shivers of desire throughout Raven's body "glad you've finally come down from your mountain to the rest of us mortals."

Raven shook her head rapidly and backed away, dropping the helmet in the process. Love scoffed at her pitiful display of denial, and placed a firm hand on the girls' shoulder.

"Raven" she said sternly "you can't just block out everything just because of what _might_ happen." Raven shrugged her emotion off and began to briskly walk away, desperate to escape the trap she was sure had been laid before her. So she was understandably surprised to see not just Lust blocking her path, but Brave and Happy also stood there, their faces set as stone as they stood before her.

"Face it girl" Brave said, walking forward to stand face-to-face with the enchantress "you _want _to let us in, you _want _to feel again." Raven scoffed and turned away, seeking a new way to escape, only to have it blocked by Love.

"Let us in sweetie" she whispered, raising a hand to the girl's pale cheek "there's no need to be scared anymore." Raven sighed contently as a calming aura soothed her senses, washing away her fears.

Her eyes widened as she felt someone hug her from behind, and shuddered when Lust whispered "Now, what were you gonna ask us?" from her shoulder, and she could hear the cheeky smile that must be on the emoticlone's face.

"Something about a certain steel-clad boy genius perhaps, hmm?" Love added from the side, smirking at Raven's dumbfounded expression. "H-how?" she stammered, her face turning a deep maroon as her eyes suddenly found the floor _very_ interesting. Lust giggled as she raised Raven's head up with her hand, her eyes twinkling in their sockets.

"Remember luv, we _are_ you. Whatever you feel, we feel." She suddenly winked seductively, her voice dropping to a low purr "I must say girl, you have _fine_ taste. Mmm, mmm!"

Ravens blush deepened, despite the growing scowl on her face and her now-four blood red eyes, much to her emoticlones' amusement. Love, whilst still giggling, took Raven's hand and dragged her away from the group.

When the others were out of sight, the purple-clad emotion released her mistresses' hand and said "On a serious note Raven, what were you going to ask me?" The enchantress looked up, surprised at the seriousness in her counterpart's voice.

"Is it true, what the others said?" she asked, her embarrassment rising as she struggled to finish the sentence "About David and me?"

Love sighed at Raven's stuttering speech, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Raven" she said softly, her voice gentle "you can't just ignore these feelings. _Embrace_ them girl! _Grow_ with them." Raven just looked downcast, she know she could never do that.

As if reading her mind, Love continued "Your powers only go haywire if you _let them_. Control them Raven, tame them. You are supposed to be in control, not them."

Her spirits buoyed, Raven turned to leave Nevermore behind and seek out the target of her affection.

Love then giggled, saying "It seems you just answered your own question" just loud enough for the demoness to hear before disappearing into the mists of her mind. Raven's eyes opened, revealing the dark walls of her room in the Tower.

She rose quickly and hurried to the elevator, her mind already weaving a plan to coerce David away to her side. She descended to the training room, following the sound of fists hitting leather. What she saw next not only made her jaw drop, and in no uncertain terms left her extremely flustered.

* * *

_Ten minutes earlier…_

David's fist slammed into the punching bag, stripped to the waist as sweat coated his torso and limbs, the heavy bag swinging back dangerously after every punch whilst his mind worked furiously, scrutinizing the events of the last hour: his encounter with Raven, the lightning that passed through his arm when she brushed past him and, more importantly, the fierce blush on her face as she left.

His strikes grew in power as he mulled over the problem before him. He knew he loved the young demoness; he couldn't escape that fact, his actions towards her betrayed him there.

The question that continued to plague his mind was quite simple: did she return his affections? He had a right to be nervous; being the son of the owner of a multi-billion company and Iron Man to boot had drawn many admirers in his life, specifically when he hit high school, many of the female kind.

But none of his previous relationships had gotten far off the ground, all thanks to the thing in his chest. The turbine had repulsed most girls, seeing it as some kind of deformity or illness, and they quickly abandoned him, leaving him alone and heart-broken.

After so many attempts, he had hardened his heart against such tragedies and focussed on his studies, shutting off most intimate contact.

He had even given up on rugby, the one sport he excelled in, even though of its foreign origins. Eventually, his parents had gotten worried and tried to pull him out of his cold shell, to interact with the world again.

Despite their best efforts, he still ignored the world around him and kept his tunnel-vision like focus on his studies, soon acing all of his subjects whilst becoming even more of a recluse.

He soon took an interest in rifle shooting, which led him to Rhodes and the Armed Forces. He trained for days on end until he hit the centre of a target from over thirty feet without even blinking.

Soon, his parents had gotten extremely concerned about his attitude, so they had taken to the helicarrier and introduced him to S.H.I.E.L.D and Fury, inducting him into their ranks at the ripe old age of fifteen.

Not only was he technically now an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, he was also a lieutenant in the U.S army, responsible for the lives of his own little contingent.

This had arisen when General Ross had been contacted by both Fury and Colonel Rhodes, and suggested the formation of an 'Iron Legion'.

The name came from Tony's previous attempt: an army of unmanned Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by JARVIS that helped him defeat the Mandarin many years ago.

Although the original had been destroyed shortly afterward, the idea still remained the best idea for a rapid-response unit in existence.

So it had been decided that David would lead the Legion, which would split into four teams of seven men, all of whom would be hand-picked by David himself.

He increased the speed of his punches as the memories began to flow freely. He had trained all twenty-eight men and women himself, rigorously assessing them in every aspect of fitness, and then designating them to their teams.

He had also chosen six others to act as his personal team, men and women who he deemed worthy enough to fight alongside him as well as having the combined skill-set he needed. He even drew from the ranks of the X-Men and other heroes, selecting those he thought deserved the chance.

He increased the frequency of his workout, furiously trying to clear his head.

Even with his new unit; and the new fame of Steel Rain's public debut a few days later, fighting alongside Iron Man against the horribly persistent Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, he still felt isolated.

He thought people never saw _him_, only the suit or the uniform he wore, never the man beneath.

Soon his thoughts once again turned to Raven; the way she spoke, the slight tremble of her voice after every word, the way her eyes would sparkle in the low light, the way she seemed to glide over the floor as she walked.

Dark, mysterious and alluring were all words to describe her, but none of them truly fit. Heat blossomed in his gut as he thought of her, and he mistimed his next punch, resulting in the bag swinging back into his face and sending him tumbling to the floor.

He heard light laughter coming from the doorway, and tilted his head until the most beautiful vision filled his sight.

* * *

Raven stood at the door, a delicate hand raised to her mouth to try and muffle her laughter. Her cloak hung over one half of her body, obscuring it whilst leaving the other in stark contrast.

His eyes swept over her, following her elegant curves down to her wide hips, and down to her seemingly endless legs.

Blood infused his face as he caught himself almost leering at her petite-albeit _very fine_- form. He coughed to cover his actions and rose to his feet, brushing imaginary dust off his shorts.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked politely, silently thanking all the etiquette lessons his mother had forced on him. Raven stopped laughing, even though her eyes still sparkled in that _oh-so-endearing_ way.

"Oh, I dunno" she said, using the same tone he had used the previous night before unmasking Jason "I thought we could spar, seeing as I'm the only one you haven't faced yet."

David shrugged before asking"With or without the suit?"

Raven considered that for a while, tilting her head to one side as she mulled it over in her mind. "Without," she said finally "you said it yourself, with it on it's not a true test of your abilities."

David couldn't argue with that, so he nodded before ambling towards the ring. Raven quickly floated over to the ring, feeling her gut tightening drastically.

David took up his fighting stance, slightly different to before; his legs were still bent and apart, but his body was twisted so his right side faced her, with his right arm swung over his torso whilst his left was held almost parallel to his body, his hands clenched into loose fists.

The demoness landed lightly on the mat, unconsciously taking up the stance Dick had drilled into her and the rest of the Titans during one their oh-so-many training sessions.

They stared at each other for what felt like an age, trying to gather as much information on their opponent as possible.

Then, at some silent signal, David charged. He launched a series of lightning-fast jabs and chops at her torso, his movements controlled and precise, almost like a machine.

Raven managed to block most of them, but a few snuck past her guard, slamming into her gut. Raven's breath rushed from her lungs from the blow, and she doubled over instinctively.

David jumped back, giving her time to recover whilst leaning against the ropes with an infuriating smirk plastered on his handsome face. Raven gritted her teeth as she felt his confidence radiated off him like a desert wind, and with a cry she lunged at him, striking a fierce blow across his face, catching him off-guard and sending him to the floor.

But right before he hit the ground David swept his leg out, knocking Raven off her feet and sent her toppling on top of him.

They struggled for a bit, trying to untangle their limbs before realizing the full extent of their situation.

They paused, their faces inches from each other, each feeling heat infuse their cheeks as they turned bright red.

Then, ever-so-slowly, they began to close that gap. Their eyes closing, their embarrassment forgotten, as their lips grew ever closer, until finally- _blessedly_- they touched.

Raven felt like a thousand fireworks had gone off in her brain as her hands ran through David's hair, her arms snaking around his neck as he sat up, dragging her into his lap. For David, it was something had clicked in his brain that released a hundreds of little flares in his lips as his arms wrapped around Raven's hips, making them burn like a small furnace.

Soon their passion escalated, their arms roaming freely across the other's body whilst their tongues duelled for dominance amidst their lips. Raven began to moan, feeling a pleasurable heat rising from her nether regions.

Suddenly, a black lightning bolt shot out of her seventh chakra and vanished into the wall, right before the entire tower fell dark.

"Yo!" they heard Cyborg holler from the Ops room, accompanied by the clatter of failing objects- and occasional Titan "who turned out the lights?!" David looked up sheepishly at her, his face illuminated by the light of his turbine alone.

"Hehe, _whoops_!" he said nervously, his voice rising whilst layered with genuine surprise "That wasn't meant to happen."

And, due to the sheer cheesiness of the comment combined with the awkwardness of their situation, they both collapsed into gales of quiet laughter. They soon subsided however, Raven snuggling into David's broad chest and resting her head on his shoulder.

They lay there for a while when, quite suddenly, the lights flickered back on, soon followed by the sound of running feet.

"Raven!" they heard Dick bellow as he and the others barreled into the gym "are you-whoa!"

He came to a screeching halt as he saw the couple lying on the floor of the ring, causing the world's most hilarious pile-up as the others crashed into him and fell flat on their faces, slowly turning into a mountain of bodies as more heroes dashed through the doors.

The couple collapsed in laughter again as the groaning mass of bodies moved so it spread across the entire doorway, before resuming their previous position.

Conner groaned as he rose to his feet, bringing Cassie and Dick with him, quickly followed by Cyborg and Changeling.

Soon, everyone was once again standing, alongside openly gawking at the couple in the ring.

David turned his head away from the angel at his shoulder to give the group a lazy two-fingered salute before pressing another light kiss to Raven's crown.

* * *

"You…she…I…what?" Tim finally managed to stutter, his eyes widening whilst his jaw hung loose, a sentiment everyone else seemed to share.

David couldn't help but smirk at their obliviousness. He felt Raven smile against his shoulder, also amused with her teammates' reactions.

This obviously didn't go unnoticed by the others, as Cy's face split into a wide grin, followed by a rather loud "Well alriiiight!" whilst the others wore matching grins, seemingly unsurprised by their actions. Then the room was filled with the sound of shattering glass, followed by five very distinctive thumps.

David sighed as the sound of a _very_ heated argument began to drift to their ears, coming from the Ops room.

"Back in a minute" he growled, getting to his feet and storming out of the room, a hurricane brewing between his ears as he donned his suit as he swept through the door.

Everyone glanced worriedly at each other, afraid that he would demolish the tower in his rage.

In a moment of pure; unplanned, simultaneous motion, everyone turned and raced down to the Ops room, frantically trying to stop David from doing something irredeemably stupid.

Their pace tripled when they heard the whine of repulsors charging up. They barrelled into possibly the strangest scene they had ever seen in their short lives, and considering their occupation that was an achievement in itself.

There, sprawled on and over the couch, were five figures all clad in different spandex uniforms, groaning and moaning from their flight through the now-shattered Ops window.

And, standing with his back to them, was the pillar of black-rage that was David Stark, his mini-guns howling as they spun at murderous speeds with their barrels all pointed at the newcomers and his turbine screamed.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

He had his right hand raised, repulsor glowing a dangerous red, his murderous face hidden behind his faceplate.

"PETER PARKER!" he roared, his voice horrifically loud, "WHERE ARE YOU!"

There was a soft groan from behind the back of the couch, and a very familiar red-and-blue clad figure emerged, the black arachnid in the centre of his chest identifying him immediately.

The others also looked up, awakened somewhat by his shouting, their eyes widening as the light of the repulsor illuminated their faces.

Raven suddenly dashed forward and, before anyone could even protest, magically tore David's helmet off and kissed him hard on the mouth, praying that it would distract him from his previous assassination-plan.

This proved to be a little too effective, because as soon as her lips touched his, his arms snapped around her torso, almost crushing the life out of her.

Through the waves of fire that emanated from her lips and the darkness of her closed eyes, Raven heard the miniguns spool down, the repulsors power down, and the turbine slow down slightly.

She unconsciously began to wrap her legs around his hips, causing some of the guys to whistle suggestively.

This made them snap back to reality. They both glanced around at the crowd that had surrounded them, grins seemingly omnipresent. Three of the new arrivals could be seen smirking clearly, although the other two had their faces obscured by their masks.

Suddenly, both David and Raven were hauled over onto the couch, with the white-clad girl almost pinning them there whilst the other three lent on David's shoulders and head, smug expressions on their faces.

Then, Spider-Man dramatically swept down next to them, the others piling round to watch their 'interrogation'.

"So…" Spidey drawled, his smirk evident in his voice, a sentiment apparently matched by everyone else present "what've we missed?"

Raven groaned and buried her head in the crook of David's neck whilst he rested his on her slim shoulder, laughter surrounding them.

This was going be a _very_ interesting week.

* * *

**WHEW! SPIDEY'S HERE! Hope that satisfied all you Spider-Man fans out there, that was for you. But, more importantly, FIRST KISS TIME! WOOOH! I see the next chapter focusing more on the Avengers and Justice League, and taking a break from the Titans. I have plans for a certain Amazon and Capcicle, but you'll have to wait for that. Until then, Read&Review and, most importantly, ENJOY! So, until next time, Chaio! **


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